Young Justice Aftermath
by James the Lesser
Summary: Season 3 was canceled. Grrr. I was snowed in like millions of Americans so did a YJ marathon. After that I wanted to know what happened next so am going to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 1**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**A/N After being snowed in I had a YJ marathon. Pissed they canceled the show and I wanted to know what happened next. So I'll make it happen. Sorry if I jump around too much but there are so many different characters it is hard to get them all in here.**

**Watchtower**

**July 6****th****, 12:30 UTC**

Artemis stands near a Zeta Tube. Her heart was still beating like she had just run a marathon. She takes a couple of deep breaths trying to calm her heart.

She had been getting ready to leave with the Beta team when she started seeing blood. Blood on the walls, ceiling, and the others. She started to scream when she passed out.

A few minutes later she woke up and realized she wasn't fit for the team. Not yet. She had to take some time and find a way to work through what was really troubling her.

She is about to leave when a voice stops her. "Are you going back?"

"I have to."

Nightwing walks over to her. "I know. I thought you might like some company."

"I don't think so. Sorry."

"You will. The first time I went back to Gotham after Robin, Jason, was killed I thought I didn't need any one. I was Nightwing, second in command of the team, what did I need some one else for?"

"And?"

Nightwing looks at the floor trying to hide the pained look on his face. "If it weren't for Alfred I might not have come back."

Artemis looks at the Zeta Tube. "Give me five minutes alone."

"Got it." Nightwing watches Artemis enter the Zeta Tube.

**B07 Artemis**

"Tigress."

**B07 Tigress**

She disappeared.

Nightwing remember what it was like the first time he went back to Wayne Manor. "I'll give her three minutes."

**Central City**

**July 6****th****, 12:46 UTC**

Artemis opens the door to her and Wally's apartment. She goes over to a picture of the two they took on their first day of college. "We should have staid retired." She sets the picture face down on the table.

She goes to their room. "I'll need to pack some things." She was going to stay on the Watchtower and wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to help as Tigress but... It would be hard.

She opens up a drawer and dumps out the shirts inside. "Which ones do I take?" She picks one up that was Wally's. She takes a deep breath. It still had Wally's aftershave and body wash smell.

She keeps going through the shirt pile when she finds a small black box. She picks it up and opens it seeing a small ½ carat diamond ring. "Fighting crime didn't pay very well." Tears roll down her cheeks as she holds the box.

Nightwing knocks on the door. When Artemis doesn't answer it he opens it himself. "Artemis?"

He goes through the apartment and finds her sitting on the bed with the ring box in her hand. "Are you ok?"

She holds up the ring box. "He told me he was going to surprise me at the end of the school year. I didn't know. I missed all those classes because of the mission. I didn't even realize the school year had ended when it did."

"I'm so sorry." Nightwing sits down next to her. "We weren't sure how long it would take."

"I know and I didn't expect to be gone for a week or two. I knew I'd be setting myself back a semester or two. But when I came back Wally would help me and I'd just take night classes. I'd go back to class."

"You still can. You want to retire again you still can. You've earned it."

"No. I thought I was going to retire and go to school so I could escape the life the rest of my family lived. Make my mom happy that I was going to leave the super hero life."

"You can do that."

She shakes her head. "No I can't. When you came to me I jumped at the chance to get back in to it. I missed it too much." She sets the box down.

"We'd all understand. You know who I've lost."

"I know. You refused to talk to him for a couple months after he told me who you really were."

Nightwing puts a hand on hers. "Two months I'll never get back."

"I missed even more months with him." She hugs Nightwing and cries on his chest as he hugs her back.

"I'll make sure I visit. I will."

"You could stay here."

"Bruce has me set up in Bludhaven."

"I don't want to be alone."

"You won't be alone on the Watchtower."

Artemis pulls away. "I'm not going back there."

"Why?"

"Wally is still here." She grabs the shirt she smelled earlier. "I can't leave him here."

"Then I'll visit you here." Nightwing hugs her again as she continues to cry.

**UN Headquarters**

**July 7****th**** 13:00 UTC**

Lex Luthor meets with several UN Ambassadors. "Congratulations on your appointment!" He shakes hands with the Ambassadors.

"Thank you. I was more than happy to replace Tseng after the fiasco he pulled."

"Weren't you one of the Reach's partners?" He turns around and sees Black Canary.

"I never trusted them. Why I planted an inhibitor in the drinks. Also why I've been working to form a new team of heroes. Real heroes."

Black Canary smirks at Lex. "Except one of those heroes joined us and the others quit."

Lex smirks back. "Oh they weren't it. I was simply helping those poor kids leave the labs at Star."

Black Canary narrows her eyes as she glares at Lex. "Those poor kids had been kidnapped and tortured by the Reach. Your partners."

"The Reach kidnapped them. The Reach lied to me as much as they to you and the rest of the world."

"Now, now, this is a joyous occasion." One US Ambassador gets between the two feuding members of the UN.

"Congratulations on your promotion Black Canary. I was looking forward to working with Captain Atom but I'm sure you can fill his role as talking head for the Justice League." Lex walks away as Black Canary holds back her retort trying to be the good face of the Justice League.

**Mars**

**July 7****th****, 15:22 UTC**

Miss Martian lands her Bio Ship in a hanger. "And you're sure we can breathe the air?"

"Yes Gar we'll be fine." The three step off and in to the hanger.

"Hello!" B'arzz welcomes the three. "I'm glad you could make it here so quickly."

"What is the problem?" Miss Martian looks around at her old home world.

"When War World left they dumped cargo on Mars."

"So?" Garfield jumps up and down a little disappointed he didn't look like an astronaut on the moon.

"It wasn't just garbage. War World also held prisoners."

"What kind of prisoners?" Superboy's muscles twitch as he thinks of being captured. He knew what it was like.

"Many of them were happy to be freed but there were a few who became violent. We were able to corner them in one room and locked them in."

Superboy raises an eyebrow. "And a whole world of Martians couldn't stop them?"

"One is covered in flames and shoots them out. You know we are weak to fire."

"_I don't know of any animals immune to fire."_

"_Don't worry Beast Boy we have Superboy."_

"_So I'll tackle the living flame while you two take care of the others."_

"As soon as you three are done talking with each other let me know. There are four very powerful beings in one room."

The others realize that B'arzz recognized a psychic conversation being a Martian. "Sorry. Take us to the room and we'll see if we can't subdue them."

"Thank you." B'arzz leads the three through a hallway to the room.

A slamming noise rings out every time one of the four beings inside slam in to the door. "They may escape if we open the door."

"Why not try talking to them?"

"We did. Two we could connect with telepathically but there were two we couldn't. We asked if the first two could stop the other two but one is extremely powerful and the other is a living flame."

Miss Martian closes her eyes and focuses on the beings inside the room. She connects with two of them and can translate mentally. "_Hello?" _

"_Hello? You are a new voice."_

"_Can you free us? We're sorry we attacked at first. I have been in stasis for what appears to be centuries. I can feel the time internally and if it is correct then I fear my family may be dead."_

Miss Martian and the others could feel the sadness come from the second person she connected with. "_Who is slamming against the door?"_

"_A female alien I do not know what kind."_

"_Can you try and calm her down? We do not mean her harm."_

The first being replies._ "I tried already and she nearly broke me in half. She is very angry and very strong."_

"Telekinesis should stop her which just leaves us with the flame alien."

B'arzz walks over to a panel. "I'll open the door when you are ready."

Miss Martian focuses on one of the beings she had connected with. She opens her eyes and sees what they see. "Whoa." They did not see like a Martian did. Every thing was bright and glowed. "I can see her now. I'm ready."

Superboy raises his fists. "I'm ready."

"Then be careful." B'arzz opens the door and Miss Martian grabs the female alien with her telekinesis.

The female alien struggles for a few seconds before going limp.

The flame being starts to fly through the open door when Superboy tackles it to the ground. His clothes burn around him as he keeps the flame being pinned to the floor. "Stop!" The flame being becomes hotter.

B'arzz and Miss Martian feel weak from the heat.

Miss Martian starts to fall to the floor when Beast Boy catches her.

Unfortunately Miss Martian is too weak to contain the other alien.

The other alien flies through the open door and down the hall. Several Martians try and stop her but are knocked out of the way easily.

"Let her go. As long as she doesn't attack let her go." B'arzz struggles to the panel and hits a button.

The door closes with Superboy and the three other aliens behind it.

"_Superboy! Are you ok?"_

"_It is trying to suffocate us by burning all of the oxygen in the room!"_

"_I can have more oxygen pumped in." _B'arzz had joined the connection.

"_Wouldn't his flames go out if there was no oxygen to burn?"_

"_Yes! Garfield you're a genius. Superboy it must be a trick."_

"_It sure doesn't feel like a trick."_ Superboy was surrounded by flames. His Kryptonian skin pouring sweat out of his pores.

"_He'll stop before you pass out."_ Miss Martian goes to the door and puts a hand on it. She can feel the heat from the other side.

"_Actually if we sucked the oxygen out it would put out the flames."_

"_But the others would die B'arzz!"_

"_No. We tell them to take a deep breath first. Once the oxygen is out of the room we open the door and put restraints on the alien."_

"_Hear that every one?"_

"_Yes."_ The other three inside take deep breaths.

B'arzz enters in a code and the oxygen is sucked out of the room. "_Did it work?"_

"_Yes! But hurry he is still fighting me."_

B'arzz has two restraining shackles ready. "I am opening the door now." As soon as it starts to open he and the other two rush in.

The flame being feels the rush of air and oxygen and starts to reignite when B'arzz gets the restraints on his wrists and ankles.

The flame being tries to burn through the restraints but can't. "Will you please calm down? We mean you no harm." B'arzz keeps his distance because of the heat.

The flame being response was little more than a high pitched screech. Superboy covers his ears exposing... "M'gann!" Beast Boy turns in to an octopus and wraps himself around Miss Martians eyes.

"Oh calm down it isn't like I'm seeing any thing I didn't, uh, never mind."

Superboy's clothes had been burnt off by the being. "Since Martians can just morph clothes I'm guessing you don't have any spare pants laying around."

"We do have cloth which we can make clothing for you." B'arzz closes his eyes and connects with a fellow Martian.

A minute later Superboy wraps a towel around himself and Beast Boy turns back to normal.

**Lex Corp**

**July 8****th**** 2:20 UTC**

Bumblebee flies in through an air duct on the roof of the building. "I'm in."

"Be careful girl we don't know how paranoid Lex Luthor is."

"I don't see any sarin nerve gas canisters Guardian." She flies out of another vent and in to the office of Lex Luthor.

"This is so crash! My first mission as Kid Flash." He touches the symbol on his chest turning his uniform from stealth mode to bright yellow and back again.

"Is he touching himself again? He does know we're on a stealth mission right?"

"Sorry." Kid Flash goes back to stealth mode.

Bumblebee turns on Lex Luthor's computer and waits for it to load. She taps on the side of her head and a small device pops out. "Can you see what I see?"

"Yes." Kid Flash smiles as he sees the password screen. "You people were so trustworthy." He tells Bumblebee how to get around it.

She connects a cord to an USB port. The cord runs to a small external hard drive connected to her belt. "How long do you think this will take?"

"It depends on the size of the hard drive. My future tech can be reverse engineered but it can't make your stuff faster."

Bumblebee sees a timer appear on the screen. "Eleven minutes? More than enough time."

The three had been scouting the building for several days. Tigress was supposed to help but after a breakdown they decided to let her take a long break.

They knew the cleaning crew started at two in the morning and worked their way up. They didn't reach Luthor's office until four in the morning.

"Does it say the size of the copy?"

"Forty gigs."

"Only one hard drive and it is forty gigs? You might want to check that."

"Uh, one second." Bumblebee uses the mouse to click on a button that says _Details_. "Oh, crap."

"What?"

"That is copy one of four. I don't know how big the other copies will be."

"Check the My Computer and see."

"There isn't one on here. Lex is using some weird operating system I haven't seen before."

Guardian finally interrupts the two. "We might have a problem."

"What?"

While Kid Flash was looking through the device on Bumblebee, Guardian had been keeping an eye out for any interference. "I see two flashlights shining through the window one floor below you. It might be security."

"I can turn the monitor off and shrink." Bumblebee takes the external hard drive off and sets it down next to Lex's computer and shrinks.

A few minutes later the office door opens and two men in black sneak in. "I don't think they're security."

The two men go to a painting and take it off of the wall. Behind it is a safe. One of the men places a device on the safe and a few seconds later it pops open. "They're robbing Luthor."

"Should we stop them?"

"No. Kid Flash we are here to copy the hard drives on his computer not keep people from taking what ever jewelry or money he keeps in his safe. Just stay hidden babe."

"I've never seen Kryptonite but I think they're taking some from the safe."

"Who would take it? If they hate Superman then they would be working with Luthor."

"We'll report it back to the others when we go back."

"If we make it back." The first copy had finished and now the next one was starting. "This next one is going to take an hour. If the other two do I'll be here when the cleaning crew get here."

"Stay hidden and they might not see you."

"They might notice the safe."

"Then wait for who ever is there to leave and put it back if they don't."

Kid Flash starts tapping his foot after an hour. "Is it done yet? It probably would have been faster for me to invent another time machine to go back to the future and find out what happened because of the Reach Drink he's making."

"If you could do that why haven't you?"

"Because I can't. I had help making it."

"Stop tapping your foot it is annoying."

"I thought we'd be doing some thing Guardian."

"We are."

"We sit here and wait for Bumblebee to copy some files."

"If Luthor or that cyborg secretary comes in to work early we'll make a distraction for her."

"Hey Mr. Luthor fancy meeting you outside of your office. Nothing suspicious here."

"I'm sure you could run down and set off a fire hydrant or some thing. Unlike you I've been thinking out a strategy in case some one else comes in."

"And we might need it." Copy two had finished and she saw that copy three would take half an hour. "Luthor doesn't come in until seven so we still have time."

"As long as the cleaning crew doesn't notice the computer is on."

"Cross your fingers for me then."

**July 8****th**

**Central City 4:02 UTC**

Two men with guns hold up a convenience store.** "**Just put the money in the bag and no one gets hurt. Capiche?"

"Yes, here, don't hurt me I'm just a cashier I don't care if you take the money." The cashier hands the bag over to the two men.

"Thanks for cooperating. I'd hate to have to waste a bullet."

The two men run out of the convenience store.

"Not so fast." One of the men is hit in the left knee by an arrow.

"Aaaa!" He drops the bag of money as he falls.

"Real stupid bringing an arrow to a gun fight." Before the second man can raise his gun he is shot through the right knee. The pain causes him to drop his gun.

"I'm sorry. It looks like you used to be a criminal until you took an arrow to the knee." The mysterious person picks up the bag of money. "I'll be taking this back where it belongs."

"Please, call 911, we need help!"

"Do I look like some one who cares?" The mysterious person walks back to the convenience store with the bag of money leaving the two crippled criminals laying in the middle of the street.

**July 8****th**

**Watchtower 9:30 UTC**

Aqualad meets with Bumblebee, Guardian, and Kid Flash. "Any hiccups?"

"Two guys broke in and stole when we believe was Kryptonite."

"Copy video from your headset and I'll have some one look at it. Did you get the information?"

Bumblebee hands the external hard drive to Aqualad. "Got all four internals on there. Took a lot longer than we thought but there was plenty of space on here to hold it."

"Good job team."

Kid Flash high fives Guardian. "Our first mission was a success! If a little boring."

"Your mission may be the most important one right now. If we can't figure out what Luthor is doing with the Reach technology it could harm not just us but the entire planet."

"We'll make sure his plans don't go on mode." Kid Flash pulls out a candy bar from one of the wrist containers. "So who is up for sleep?"

Guardian yawns. "I have a term paper to work on."

Bumblebee yawns as well. "I have work at the lab."

"Sucks to be you guys." Kid Flash finishes his candy bar before running to another room of the Watchtower.

**July 8****th**

**Central City 12:00**

Nightwing is sitting on Artemis' couch when the news comes on. "Two young men were taken to the hospital early this morning after they were both shot in the knees by an arrow. The police say the two had just robbed a convenience store when they were stopped. There are no leads as to who the person who shot them is as the pictures taken from the store security camera is blurry at best."

A picture comes up of some one in a sleek dark blue body suit with full hood. Nightwing leans in closer trying to see any identifying marks on the person but can't. "I can't even see a weapon."

"Huh?" Artemis comes out from the kitchen with two plates of food.

"Some one shot two criminals in the knee with arrows but I don't see where they'd keep a weapon on their suit."

Artemis looks at the screen. "It might be a built in wrist launcher. I thought of adding one to my Tigress costume but they weigh the arm down and can make you slower if you have to punch or block some one."

"Maybe. I'll go to the hospital and see if I can't get one of the arrows."

"You can do that after lunch." She hands him a plate.

"Thanks."

She sits down next to him. "Thanks for staying Dick."

"Don't thank me. I've been through what you're going through. I had nightmares after my parent's were killed."

"You were a lot younger than I am and they weren't heroes. I, I mean we all know, especially after what happened with Jason, that we could die. We could lose some one we love." She puts her plate on the coffee table and leans against Dick.

"It doesn't make it hurt any less." He puts an arm around her trying to comfort her.

Bludhaven

**July 8th 23:24 UTC**

Nightwing is sneaking in to his apartment with two arrows in his left hand. He hadn't seen a style like them before but was going to compare them to other arrows past and present.

He is about to go in to his bedroom when a light turns on. "Hello stranger."

He turns around and sees Zatanna. "Hey."

She gets up and kisses him lightly on the lips. "Where have you been all day?"

"In Central City. With Artemis."

"How is she?"

"She has nightmares."

"Spent the night there huh?"

"Yes." She gives him a knowing look. "Not like that."

"No need to lie to me. People have found comfort in each other before. Isn't that why Tim and Cassie started dating?"

Nightwing decides to change the subject. "If you're here you have information."

"Kind of." She puts a hand on his arm. "I looked for Wally but couldn't find him."

"So he isn't dead."

"No. It might mean that or it might mean some thing else. Just because I can't find his spirit doesn't mean it isn't there. The spirit world is a massive place."

"But you would have found it."

"I would hope so."

"Then it confirms my theory. Bart said Wally just disappeared. He wasn't incinerated or vaporized he just disappeared. One step he was there and the next he wasn't."

"Which doesn't mean he isn't dead. We don't know what the Reach technology is capable of." She sees the look on his face. "But I think it means he is alive. Some where."

"Thank you. I know you didn't have to help me when I asked. I could have asked Dr. Fate."

She smiles and pokes him on the nose. "You know I'd do just about any thing for you. It is almost magical how I just can't find it in me to hate you for what you did."

"If any one knew magic it would be you."

"Oh the magic we made together. But that was between Robin and I. You made magic with Barbara as Dick."

"I lived two lives. Like Batman."

"And yet you say you don't want to end up like him. You shouldn't act like him if that's really what you want."

"Some times I don't know what I want. Right now I do know what I want. I want to show you how magical I can still be." He smiles at her and winks.

"Not tonight I have League business. Maybe next week." She walks to the door and opens it. "If you aren't busy at Artemis' place." She closes the door behind her.

**Watchtower**

**July 9****th**** 10:00 UTC**

Batgirl takes the lead of Team Gamma. "We went through every house of Vandal Savage we could access. We know he has others under different names but so far we've found nothing."

"He may have a base hidden away."

"I know Aqualad but we couldn't find any sign of that either. What ever he is planning with War World he is keeping it close to his chest."

"Keep looking. The War World could have devastated the Earth even with all of the Justice League and Earth's nations combined. If the Reach hadn't intervened hundreds of millions could have died."

"We'll keep trying but if he didn't keep any plans on Earth what do we do? Shouldn't we be weaponizing the Watchtower? Or put weapons on the Moon hidden away to take War World by surprise?"

"The Watchtower is a peaceful part of the Justice League."

"And when Earth is destroyed I'm sure the few humans left will be thankful for that. Atlantis may be deep underwater and spared so I guess you won't worry about it."

"Atlantis is part of Earth."

"Underwater. Safe from most if not all space attacks."

"Batgirl I will not argue with you about this. I am not a member of the Justice League if you have a problem with the Watchtower bring it up with one of them. Dismissed!" The other Gamma team members flinch except for Batgirl.

**Outer Space**

**July 9****th**** 13:49 UTC**

Miss Martian flies the Bioship back to Earth. Her fellow Martians finally found a way to connect with the flame being.

He had been captured decades ago. His last memory was fighting and when he was released from stasis he thought he still had to fight. Once they communicated with him he calmed down and kept his flames extinguished.

"_Hey M'gann he's sleeping."_ She looks over and sees Beast Boy was slumped backwards on his chair.

"_Yes, yes he is."_

"_So can we talk now? You were in such a rush to go back to Mars we didn't get a chance to."_

"_I guess. What, what do you think we should talk about?"_

"_You know what. You hurt me in a way few others could. Being part Kryptonian I am nearly invincible. But you found a way to wound me worse than Lex Luthor ever could."_

"_I'm sorry. I've told you that before."_

"_Yes but you seemed sorry that you were caught not because of what you did."_

"_I am sorry!"_

"_I know. Now you are. After what you did to Kaldur you finally realized just how powerful and dangerous what you can do is."_

"_Remember when Mister Twister attacked? What did you all say? It was ok to do it to the bad guys."_

"_Reading their mind and obliterating what makes them exist are two different things. You got lucky you could fix what you did to Kaldur."_

"_I know, now. I'm sorry Conner. I shouldn't have done what I did to you. I should have listened to you instead of making you forget."_

"_And I accept. I still have feeling for you M'gann. If I didn't then I could have just shrugged off what you did. But my feelings for you just make me feel even more hurt."_

"_If I still didn't have feelings for you I wouldn't care if you accepted my apology."_

"_When we get back maybe we could go some where?"_

"_Sure. I'd like that."_

The two look at each other sharing a peaceful moment that was soon shattered.

"_You guys woke me up! I'm glad to hear you're gonna get back together but be quieter next time!"_

"Beast Boy!" Miss Martian and Conner are horrified Beast Boy had heard any of their conversation.

**Apokolips**

**July 9****th**** 16:25 UTC**

Vandal Savage walks toward a small ship. "I have given you War World Darkseid. You will bring me the technology that will make the Light the only force in our half of the Universe."

"I will keep my end of the deal. With the War World the Tomorrow People will have no choice but to surrender." Darkseid starts to laugh. "I shall conquer my half of the Universe after I crush them."

"The Universe is a very large place. I'm sure splitting it in half will be more than enough between us." Both smile at each other as they both plotted ways to betray the other.

**A/N As I wrote this I thought about the new Kid Flash and how he is from the future. He has to have some tech knowledge that could help the team. Like an external hard drive with terabytes of space the size of a thumb drive. Or about computers and security, maybe. Guy did build a time machine. From the brief few seconds you see it in his time it looks like he built it either alone or with help from the radiation guy.**

**And Tigress was supposed to be on the group with him, Guardian, and Bumblebee. Right after her long time boyfriend had died. We know consequences affect people in this world. It isn't like some shows where Episode 6 the love of his life dies and in Episode 7 he has a new girlfriend and the other girlfriend is never mentioned again. If Nightwing has to take time off then one would think she would too. So I had the "She tried but had a breakdown so took a break" in there.**

**As for the Mars thing it was the only thing I could think of. Why on a planet of Miss Martians and Martian Manhunters did they need these three to come help? They were weak to flames and there was an alien version of the Human Torch along with others dumped off by Vandal Savage who was immune to psychic attacks. Other than that what else could it be? This is an entire planet of people who can use the same powers as Miss Martian/Martian Manhunter. I'm sure the creators of the show could have come up with some thing better but it is what I came up with.**

**Also as some may know I wrote a very, very, long Teen Titans series before so I do have experience in DC Universe. I want to get members of TT and the enemies from there in to here eventually. Deathstroke is a major player so where are his various kids? Cyborg? Raven? Starfire? Or where was Gizmo or Jynx? I'll hopefully get them or/and others in here eventually!**

**Now I just have to ask myself do I let Justice League/Unlimited plus the movies bleed in to here? Or pick select episodes/movies from those series to influence here? Luthor is a major villain and one of the few not busted by the team and he had several major plot points in the JL series. He had several major plots in the JL/JLU show. One of my favorite is when he switched bodies with Flash and takes the mask off to learn who Flash is. "I have absolutely no idea who you are." If he had switched with Batman or Superman... Wouldn't have been as funny.**

**Anyways I hope any one who reads this likes it and if they have the time review! IDK when the next episode will be put up.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 2**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Ra's Al Ghul Fortress**

**July 14****th**** 0:01 UTC**

Ra's Al Ghul walks up to a pod. "How many of these are viable candidates?"

A man walks up from behind. "Only two so far my Lord."

"And where is the Prospect?"

"We caught him after he escaped. Again."

"He will learn to appreciate what I have done for him. Make sure he does not escape again."

"Of course my Lord."

Ra's Al Ghul walks away showing other pods behind the one he had stopped in front of. Misshapen beings fill most of them while two seem mostly human.

**Central City**

**July 14****th**** 2:14 UTC**

A man sticks a hanger through a crack of a car window. "Come on get it." He is able to press the unlock button. "Come on have something good in here."

"You just got it." He is shot in the spine just above the waist.

"Aaaa!" His screams echo on the city buildings.

The person who shot him opens the car door and rolls down the window just enough they could close the door and lock it by sticking another arrow through the window and hit the button.

"Please, help me!"

"I did. You'll never commit another crime again." The person walks away whistling.

An hour later Dick wakes up on the couch of Artemis' apartment when he hears a ringing noise. He turns over and grabs his pants off of the floor and finds his phone. "Hello?"

"Dick, this is Bruce."

"Oh. What do you need?"

"I need to talk with you. On the Watchtower."

"Why?"

"Because you need to talk with some one."

"I told you I don't need to talk to Black Canary."

"Is that what you told Artemis?"

"No but that is different. She's never lost some one that close before. I have."

"Meet me at the Watchtower at ten." Bruce hangs up the phone.

"Not giving me much of a choice." Nightwing yawns and goes back to sleep.

**Watchtower**

**July 14****th**** 10:00 UTC**

Batman has Nightwing in front of him. "I know you've been staying in Central City."

"So?"

"How close are you with Artemis?"

"Not as close as you're implying." Nightwing was annoyed being called up to the Watchtower. He was taking a break but Batman seemed to ignore that.

"I wouldn't judge you. You know that."

Nightwing paces back and forth trying to keep his voice calm. "Why am I here? Why do you care if I've been staying at Artimes' apartment?"

"Because some one is using arrows to cripple criminals in Central City."

"I know. I've been seeing it on the news. I already collected arrows from different victims and compared them to other arrows people used."

"Why? If you're on a break."

"The same reason why you called me here."

"Which is?"

"Don't play games with me Bruce. As soon as I heard some one was using arrows to hurt others I worried it might be Artemis."

"What did you find?"

"Probably the same thing you did. But it isn't her. They aren't her arrows. The only picture they have of this guy shows he is a guy."

"Even enhanced you can't tell what sex the person is."

"I can. It isn't her. That person is at least five inches taller than her."

"About your height and build."

Nightwing's eyes go wide with shock and then anger. "Oh now you think I'm doing this?"

"Wally was your best friend. He knew who you were before any one else. Losing some one can cause people to put on a mask and seek revenge."

"I already wear a mask."

"You've won two so far so why not a third?"

"You didn't call me up here because you thought it was Artemis you called me up here because you think it is me!"

"Is it? The person in that picture is the same height and build. They were skilled enough to hit a running person in the center of the knee. Only a few people could do that."

"No! I would never do that to some one. People can be saved. We met, you found, Jason stealing tires. You saved him. Artemis' entire family was criminal but Green Arrow and you decided to take a chance on her and made her a hero."

"I want you to stay here, in Gotham, or Bludhaven."

"So when the next person is crippled you know it isn't me?"

"Dick you know I trust you with my life."

"But you don't know what losing Wally might do to me. You've dealt with enough people who change after a death or other trauma." Dick lowers his head and takes a deep breath. "Maybe I should take my own advice and talk with Black Canary."

"Why don't you talk to me? You shut me out the last time I tried talking with you."

"Because I can handle it."

"Can you?"

"Yes. I've lost my parents and a brother. I've been here before. She hasn't. Why I was worried it was her."

"It isn't."

"No, it isn't."

"Now prove not just to me but to yourself it isn't you."

"I'll stay in Bludhaven until the next attack."'

"If there isn't? Or there is an attack in Bludhaven?"

"Then I'll need help."

**Lex Corp Secret Facility**

**July 15****th**** 7:05 UTC**

Lex Luthor stands in front of a large glass window. On the other side are two half circles on top of a platform. "So it is ready."

"Well, yes, we can activate it and see the other side but we can't control it."

"Then use more power."

"Sir if we use much more it could become unstable."

"Do it."

"Now? Sir we aren't ready for a test."

"This isn't a test. I have invested hundreds of millions in to this project. I want results."

"Yes, Sir." The other man goes through a few switches.

On the other side of the glass electricity sparked between the two half circles.

Soon a clear liquid forms between the half circles and Luthor can see through it to a whole new world. "What world is this?"

"We call it E-98. On it there is a group of super beings called the Avengers."

"Who are?"

"Heroes. There is no Batman in this world but there is a man called Tony Stark who calls himself Iron Man."

"And who do they fight?"

"Aliens, gods, other super beings. It isn't much different from here. Except there is no Metropolis or Gotham. You don't exist either. Neither does Batman."

"Is there any way to go through?"

"Yes. It is dangerous as we don't know if there is a way to come back."

Lex Luthor leans against the glass as ideas go through his head. "There are beings on the other side with powers not seen here."

"Yes Sir. This is different from E-47 where Superman is called Ultraman and is evil."

"Evil? So there was no Justice League?"

"There was where you were the leader."

Lex chuckles. "Interesting. There are worlds where Superman is evil. Keep looking at other dimensions and keep track of who or what is different."

"Yes Sir."

**Lex Corp Main Headquarters**

**July 16****th**** 1:20 UTC**

Both Team Alpha and Team Beta are outside of the building. "We confirmed that it was green Kryptonite stolen from his safe. There were other things inside that may be Kryptonite just not green. We are to go in and steal it so we can find out what kind it is."

"We're robbing a safe. Why do we need all of us for this Miss Martian? I could fly back in there and have some one guide me on opening the safe."

"Because Bumblebee we have no way of knowing what extra security Luthor may have added. I'll go in first since I can be invisible."

"Camouflaged. Not invisible."

"I'll be fine Beast Boy."

Miss Martian flies from the roof of a nearby building and flies through a window shifting her density so she can pass through it with out damaging it.

She doesn't see any cameras. "No way he doesn't have cameras in here. He knows some one was in here."

She flies over to the painting that covered the safe. "No trip wires?" She pulls the painting off.

She density shifts through the safe and can't see inside because of the darkness. She pulls her head out. "I should be able to open this." She shifts her fingers in to the lock tumble and undoes the insides.

As she starts to open the safe a bomb goes off.

Superboy leaps from the roof and catches Miss Martian in mid fall.

Debris rains down around him and Miss Martian. An alarm blares and can be heard down on the street even though it sounds from the recently exploded office.

Kid Flash runs up to the two. "We gotta get out of here before the police arrive."

"I don't think she's breathing."

"Got it." Bumblebee zaps Miss Martian on the chest.

Kid Flash pounds on her chest and then Bumblebee zaps her again. "Ow." Miss Martian coughs. "What happened?"

"Lex set up better security." Superboy leaps in to the air landing on the roof of a building before leaping again.

The others chase after him as he carries the dazed Miss Martian away from Lex Corp Headquarters.

Lex Luthor pulls up in his limo and steps out. "My office was destroyed."

Mercy steps out from the driver seat. "If there are no bodies then we know some one with meta powers was in there."

"The Justice League would not have stolen the Kryptonite. They wouldn't be so bold as to rob me."

"Then you suspect the Light?"

"When you get that many people with such large egos together there is bound to be some back stabbing." Lex has a half smile appear on his face as debris and fire falls down around him.

**New Orleans**

**July 17****th**** 15:40**

Team Gamma led by Batgirl break in to a house. "Blue Beetle hack any computer you come across. Static and Robin make sure the security doesn't come back on. Lagoon Boy I want you with me and Wonder Girl going from the basement to the attic looking for any hidden areas."

"I'll start in the attic and let you two start in the basement." The group separates.

Batgirl has Wonder Girl turn a handle of a locked door breaking the lock. "Bingo." Batgirl leaps down the stairs and sees some boxes and cobwebs. "Lagoon Boy did you find the attic?"

"Yes but there is nothing up here but pink foam and spiders."

"Make sure you look carefully. We can't risk missing any thing." Batgirl wipes her hand on the far wall knocking dust off.

Batgirl is on the second floor in a library while Wonder Girl is on the first floor. "It worked in the Batcave." She starts pulling book after book. "Would be so much faster if I had Kid Flash in my group." She continues to pull books one by one.

Lagoon Boy goes down from the attic and hears a shout. "Batgirl!" He rushes to her and sees a bookshelf swing open.

"I found some thing. Finally." After over two dozen homes and bases they had finally found a secret room.

The rest of the team go to the library and see a large metal vault door. "Blue Beetle can you open this?"

"Si. Yes." He places one hand on the vault door and several cables come out from his arm and attach to the number pad on the door.

A few seconds later the door opens. "He set off an alarm." Robin was already trying to hack the signal and turn it off.

"Ok go in and find any thing that might help us figure out what Savage is up to." Batgirl and the others pile in to the room and find file cabinets.

Robin is able to turn the alarm off but not before it reached where ever it was supposed to go. "They know we're here so just grab what you can and lets get out of here."

"Not every one here has super strength Robin."

"I know Batgirl." Robin pulls a drawer open. "I got this stuff."

"I can carry more than two." Wonder Girl stacks two file cabinets in one hand and picks up a third one.

"Have another." Blue Beetle throws another file cabinet on top of the first one.

"There are too many for all of us." Lagoon Boy puffs up and grabs two file cabinets.

Batgirl touches a button on her wrist. "League this is Team Gamma. We need the Flash, Superman, and any one fast enough to get to New Orleans now."

"Zeta Tube nearby we'll send who we can."

"Batman? I thought Green Lantern was on watch tonight."

"He was but I gave him the night off." Batman was also keeping an eye on Nightwing from several cameras he had placed in the Bludhaven apartment.

"Send them to my GPS location."

"So you finally found some thing."

"Yes. A lot of file cabinets."

"Yes, yes he would have that. Vandal Savage is old fashioned."

"He had a security system that wasn't old fashioned."

"It is the little things. His clothes are tailor made not bought in some factory and all cotton or silk no polyester."

"You would notice that." Batgirl feels a rush of air and turns around to see the Flash in the file cabinet room.

"You rang? Thirty seconds or less."

"I wouldn't be bragging about that _jefe_." The teens laugh as Flash gives Blue Beetle a look.

A minute later Superman shows up with Martian Manhunter. "Thanks!"

"I can hear sirens so we better hurry." Superman picks up four cabinets as Martian Manhunter picks up two.

Wonder Woman flies in as the others leave. "Are there any more?"

"Just one." Superman flies past her. "Hurry the police are getting close."

"Yeah and we don't need police footage of the Justice League robbing some one's house for G. Gordon Godfrey to put on his show." Batgirl runs with one drawer from a cabinet in her arms.

**Warehouse In Jump City**

**July 17****th**** 17:45**

Arsenal sneaks in to a warehouse. "They really did forget about this place didn't they?" He runs a finger through a thick layer of dust.

He goes to a computer console and turns it on. "They still use XP on this one? They must have stopped using this place years ago." He clicks on a couple things when he sees a bright red exclamation point.

He clicks on it and a message appears. "_Help! Ra's Al Ghul has me. I think I'm in his base in Europe. I couldn't see much outside of the window I passed but there were no nearby cities. Please help!"_

"Huh. Why would they send it to this computer?" He clicks through a couple more things when he sees where the message was supposed to go. "Mount Justice? Who would send this? Every one knows that place got blown up."

Arsenal continues going through the computer trying to figure out why the message had gone to the computer. "It was sent recently. Just four days ago on the thirteenth. Mount Justice was destroyed well before then."

He brings up another screen and sees some information that shines a little light on the mystery. "It was a Team Message Signal. A member of the team sent this. But why would they send it to Mount Justice? Every one on the team knows that place is gone. And why would the message then come to this computer?" He re reads the message. "Who ever it is needs help. If a member of the Light has him then I'll make sure I don't just rescue him."

**Apokolips**

**July 18****th**** 2:30**

Darkseid stands in the middle of War World. "Soon the Universe will tremble as I rain death from this machine."

"Yes Master." Desaad is standing next to Darkseid. "When shall we attack?"

"Once we are sure those fools on Earth have the heroes distracted." Darkseid starts to laugh.

**New York City**

**July 19****th**** 14:00 UTC**

"Hello boys and girls! G. Gordon Godfrey here to let you know the latest on what the so called heroes are up to!"

G. Gordon Godfrey slams a fist on his desk. "This reporter has just gotten video all the way from Louisiana."

Suddenly a black and white video plays. "Now I know what you're thinking. What is that? No one could seriously make out who that is in the sky. Has G. Gordon Godfrey lost his mind? No! With enhancement techniques you can zoom in on the person and what do we see?"

The video zooms in on the object. "Is that Wonder Woman carrying a file cabinet? Yes it is! And who did she just steal it from? Well this man found out. It is none other than J. Jack Jonah. Who is that? A key lobbyist who has sided against the Justice League."

The camera zooms out and a screen behind G. Gordon Godfrey shows a fake mugshot of Wonder Woman. "She robbed a man who spoke out against her and the Justice League. Where are the police? Why won't she come here and answer the charges? Because she and the rest of the Justice League consider themselves above the law!"

Wonder Woman clicks the television off. "He never asked me to come on the show. Not that he'd tell that to his audience."

"Don't worry about it Diana. If any one looks in to J. Jack Jonah they'll find out he isn't real." Batman picks up a glass of water and takes a sip.

"How many of his brain dead viewers would do that? None."

"If we have to we'll make people think it is a fake video."

Diana leans back in her chair and stretches. "I need a break."

"Then take one."

She leans over close to Bruce. "You need a break. When was the last time you were on Earth?"

"I have Lucius taking care of Wayne Enterprise business."

"So? You can't be Batman twenty four seven. Why not join me for a nice meal?"

"I've told you Diana before that,"

She cuts him off. "Don't give me that crap! I'm no delicate flower. Let the Joker come after me I'll break his face. I'm one of the few people on Earth you could be with who wouldn't worry about being shot."

"You aren't invincible."

"And neither are you! You're only human."

"Why I must train harder, work harder, to make sure I can keep helping the people of Gotham and the rest of the world."

"You're sitting in a chair spying on one of your kids." She smirks when she sees the reaction from Bruce. "You thought I didn't notice? Why are you spying on him?"

"Have you heard any thing about what happened in Central City the past week or so?"

"Six people have been crippled by some one using arrows."

The tone of her voice let Batman know she was thinking the same way he had before. "Which makes Artemis the key suspect. Except there is a picture of the person and they fit Nightwing's height and build."

"Dick would never do that."

"No. But I've dealt with people who have multiple personalities before. He may do it and not even know it."

"I hope it isn't him or Artemis."

"Which would mean some one else is doing this."

"Then the League will look in to it."

Batman shakes his head. "No I'll have Dick and Artemis look in to it."

"Aren't they both taking a break?"

"Yes. This will give them some thing to do that will help them ease back in to helping others. Some thing that doesn't involve saving the world from an alien invasion or fighting some criminal mastermind."

"He's staying with her in Central City?"

"He says it isn't like _that_."

"It wouldn't be the first time. Didn't your other son start dating my Cassie because of what happened to Wally?"

"From what I understand Cassie kissed him." Both laugh a little. "Once I know Dick isn't doing this I'll have him ease back in to this life by investigating this."

"Ever calculating."

"Would you or the League want me any other way?"

"No. Maybe a little more like Dick though." Batman just gives her a quizzical look. "He's smart, good looking, and brave much like his father. He's also charming which his father could use some work on."

"The people of Gotham don't need me to be charming."

"What does Bruce need? You can't be Batman forever. Sooner or later you will have to retire."

"When that day comes I will worry about it then."

"You've got it planned already don't lie to me. You've been grooming that boy for years."

"He grew in to his own man."

"A very good man. A man who I suspect will take over not just as Batman but as one of the leaders of the Justice League one day."

"He doesn't want to become me."

"No. That's not what I meant. He'll be a better Batman because he knows he can rely on others. Part of his charm is he attracts people to him. He won't try and go it alone. He'll have people by his side in even the most dangerous situation. He'll have Barb or Zatanna by his side. Maybe even Artemis. Unlike you he won't have allies he will have friends and loved ones."

"I don't see the League members as allies. Superman is a friend. You all are."

"When we first started you didn't want us interfering in Gotham. You didn't want our help."

"People can change their minds."

"And maybe you will." Wonder Woman walks away.

**Central City**

**July 14****th**** 23:02**

A woman screams as she is attacked. "Leave me alone!" She pushes the man.

"Just give me your purse!" He punches her in the stomach and grabs her purse.

"Take my money but leave my purse. I have all my cards and ID's in there."

"Shut it." He punches her again but this time in the face.

He takes off for an alley when some one tackles him from above. "Hello there."

"Get off me!" He tries to get up but stops when he feels some thing press against his throat.

"Now I could make it so you have to speak through a tube in your throat for the rest of your life or I could paralyze you from the waist down. Which will it be?"

"Bite me!"

"That's not an option. Speak through a tube in your throat or never walk again?" He feels some thing press against his back.

"I'll kill you." He reaches for his pocket when the person stabs him through the wrist. "Aaaa!"

"Now you're down a hand. But I think losing just a hand isn't enough. How about both hands? It wasn't what I wanted but it will do." The mugger screams again when his other wrist is stabbed. "I made sure to go straight through the bone. They might be able to reattach your hands if you get help. But have fun dialing 911 with no hands." The person screams as the arrows are ripped through his wrists some more.

**Bludhaven **

**July 15****th**** 7:05 UTC**

Dick is awoken by a beeping noise. He reaches for a device next to his bed. "Hello?"

"You're cleared."

"Bruce?"

"Some one was attacked last night. You're in the clear."

"Thanks." He lets out a sigh of relief. "I was a little worried."

"As was I. But you're innocent. You can go back to Artemis."

"It isn't like that."

"I said nothing."

**Ra's Al Ghul Headquarters**

**July 15****th**** 13:30**

Alarms blare as explosions take out another wall. "Who is foolish enough to attack me? Not even the League would be so bold!"

"Some one who is willing to kill my Lord. I suggest you evacuate immediately."

"Never. I have too many important things here to abandon."

"Yes my Lord."

Another wall explodes making the lights flicker. "That hit some thing solid." Arsenal leaps through the newly created hole.

"Stop!"

He dodges gun fire and throws a bomb at the three gunmen. "Hammer time or in the name of love?"

Ra's Al Ghul is walking down a hallway with two guards when the floor in front of them collapses. Arsenal leaps backwards through the hole in the floor and lands gracefully on his feet. "Hello Roy."

"Hello Ra's."

Ra's doesn't flinch as Arsenal shoots and kills his two guards. "Now that you have that out of your system why are you here?"

"I got a message." Arsenal aims at Ra's. "It took me some time to figure out who sent it."

"So you decided to blow up my home?"

"For Jason I'd blow up much more than your home."

Ra's smiles and nods his head. "The last time he escaped he must have sent a message to the Justice League."

"No. He sent it to Mount Justice. Of course every one knows that was destroyed. Except for some one who was a member of the team but died before it was destroyed."

"So how did you get the message?"

"The Justice League is not good at keeping things up to date. When they sent a message to Mount Justice it went to another computer. Mount Justice stopped being the base for the Justice League years ago. But they never set up a different forwarding address so when the message was sent it went to an old Justice League back up base. One they haven't used in an even longer time."

"So you come alone to my home and attack hoping to break Jason free? Very brave of you. Unfortunately you will not leave with him."

"Who said I was here to free him? The whole world thinks he is dead. I'll put him back in the grave in a way that makes it impossible for you to bring him back using the Lazarus Pit."

"A man who spent too much time locked up. Yes I can see how you would consider death better than being alive but trapped."

"What will you do then? Will you stop me? I've already killed all of your guards." Arsenal smirks as Ra's simply bows and waves his arm.

"As you want but please stop putting holes in the walls and floors of my home."

"Where is he?"

"Oh I'll call my men off so you won't kill any more of them but I won't lead you to The Prospect." Ra's walks away as Arsenal continues his hunt for Jason.

Arsenal finds a locked door and blows it open. "Look at that." In the room were five men surrounding a pod. "Ra's said he'd call you off."

The five men back away. "As the Lord commands. You may kill the Prospect."

Arsenal pulls out two bombs. "Weird he has no problem with me killing him. Why bring him back if he doesn't care if I kill him?" Arsenal tosses the two bombs to the guards. "Oops."

Arsenal walks through the blood and gore up to the pod. "Hey Jason. We never met but I'm Arsenal. I read up on you though once I was freed. I'm sorry we never got to know each other. You were dead before I was free. Now I came here to blow you up but I think I've changed my mind."

Arsenal goes to a control panel and opens the pod.

Jason's eyes open and he coughs. "Hello?" He sees Arsenal. "Who are you?"

"I'm here to save you."

"Where's Nightwing? Kid Flash?"

"Nightwing is leading the team and Kid Flash is dead but I do hear some one else picked up the speedster name. Although now that Aqualad isn't working for Black Manta he might be the leader again. I didn't check."

"What?" Jason is light headed and confused. "Where are they? Why are you here?"

"I was here to kill you but now I think I'll save you."

Jason falls forward from the pod. "Kill me?"

"You're already dead so it isn't like any one would miss you. Well more than they already do." Arsenal helps Jason away from the pod. Jason slips on some blood but Arsenal catches him.

**Watchtower**

**July 15****th**** 14:22**

Reports alert the Justice League about an attack on Ra's Al Ghul. "Who would attack them?" Zatanna was on watch duty that night with Rocket.

"It isn't any of us. Maybe he's getting kicked out of the Light and they're assassinating him?"

"It would save us a lot of headaches." Zatanna connects with the other League members. "Some one is attacking Ra's Al Ghul. No idea who."

"Attacking Ra's? Are you sure it isn't the Light kicking him out and assassinating him?"

"Uh, maybe Flash. Who wants to check it out?"

"On my way. I'll be there,"

Zatanna cuts Flash off. "In a flash oh my god he still says that."

Rocket laughs. "Just make sure you don't let them think we're involved in the attack ok Flash?"

"I'll be as stealthy as a jungle cat."

**Warehouse**

**July 16****th**** 3:22 UTC**

Arsenal sets Jason down on a cot. "Thank the League for Zeta Tubes."

"Where are we? I've never been here before."

"It's an old Justice League base."

"Why? Why aren't we at Mount Justice? Who are you?"

"Mount Justice was destroyed."

"Is that when Kid Flash died?"

"No. No one died when that happened."

"Who are you? You said Arsenal but I don't know any one by that name."

"Long story." Arsenal leans back in a chair. "Now what do I do with you?"

"Batman, he,"

"Bruce? He thinks you're dead too."

"You know his name?"

"I know your name. It only took a few hours of reading to learn about you. When you weren't working with the team you got killed by Joker."

"I, I think so. I remember a crowbar and a laugh."

"Bruce said it was the Joker with a crowbar and then a bomb. Sorry dude."

"I don't really remember."

"Lucky." Arsenal takes his fake arm off and puts a different one on. "So what do you want to do?"

"What happened to your arm?"

"Got it cut off before being put on ice for a few years. Now again what do you want to do? Go back to the team? Bruce?"

"I don't know. I woke up when the pod I was in lost power. I escaped. Then I escaped again. I escaped a few times but I don't know why. Some one kept turning the power off to the pod or some thing."

"Some one on the inside then. Not by the Justice League or the Team. Who would try and mess with Ra's?"

"I don't know. But who ever it was saved my life."

"I saved your life."

**Ra's Al Ghul Headquarters**

**July 16****th**** 4:00 UTC**

Ra's stands in the room filled with pods. "So he saved the boy. Good on him. As he was too busy killing my guards and freeing the boy he never found this place." He places a hand on one of the pods. Inside was a young man with dark black hair. "He never you."

**A/N Woo! Another episode done! I love what happened in this episode. I got a great scene in between Batman and Wonder Woman. Having watched JL/JLU I loved the scene between them when she argues with Batman about why he won't date her and he's all "I can't risk a woman being hurt because I'm dating them" and she crushes some thing with her bare hand. This Batman is far more caring than past versions of him. In every version he and Nightwing don't get along but in this world they're still close. But what about him and Wonder Woman? In the series they had the what, last episode of Season 1 I think where she kissed him on the cheek. Also ooo Jason is alive by Ra's Al Ghul and Arsenal saves him! Where will this lead? We must wait to find out. Just so much going on but the whole show itself has so many characters I am trying to keep them all in. So much going on but now we know Nightwing is not the attacker or is Artemis. So who is it? We must wait to find out! Also I am having so much fun writing this. I loved the show and when I got snowed in I got to watch a marathon of it and had to know what happened next. Now I am! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 3**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Central City**

**July 22nd 7:30 UTC**

Dick wakes up when some one pushes him. "What?"

"Wake up already I'm hungry."

"Why didn't you just get up Artemis?"

"You're on my arm. Short of chewing it off I would have woken you up."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Like an hour now. I was letting you sleep but I'm hungry."

"Fine I'll get up and make some breakfast." Dick rolls out of bed and grabs a shirt throwing it on before walking to the kitchen.

He turns on the television while he readies some eggs. "Another man was found crippled late last night. No leads have come forward but some are saying the police are taking their sweet time with this investigation because the victims have all been criminals."

"Another one? At least I know it isn't me."

Artemis walks out of the bedroom. "What are you making me?"

"Eggs and toast. And put a shirt on you're distracting me." He gets the bread out and sticks it in the toaster.

"Do you really want to watch the news?" She turns the channel.

"I think we should look deeper in to the attacks. Who ever is doing this needs to be stopped."

"It could be fun. I do enjoy spending all day in the bedroom but I could stretch my legs."

"I'll head down to the hospital and see if I can't get any evidence."

"After you make me breakfast."

"And take a shower."

"I'll join you." She gives him a mischievous smile.

**Warehouse**

**July 22****nd**** 9:20**

Jason lays on a beat up old couch watching an old box style television. "So what do you think we should do Roy?"

"I had fun last night."

Jason smiles and laughs. "That was a blast. This new suit fits me like a glove."

"You sure haven't forgotten how to kick butt."

"Of course not. It takes more than a death or two to keep me down."

"The red suits you."

"I am used to wearing red so I thought I'd stick with it."

The two continue talking and flip through the channels. "After a horrible accident last night the lead running back for the Jump City University Jack Backs was hospitalized. No report on his injuries have been released but he was last reported in the ICU."

**Secret Base**

**Time and Date Unknown**

Six screens light up. "With the loss of Black Manta we have an opening."

"Why? We don't need him or Ocean Master. The Atlantean Empire is not a threat to our operations. They will not interfere with our grand scheme."

"So we could add some one else Brain. Some one," The voice of Queen Bee sets the others on edge. "More feminine."

"I feel we should choose some one we can control. Some one who doesn't have a son who works for the enemy."

"Some one who won't blow up my office. Or your home Ra's."

"That was Arsenal. Some one you fitted with the equipment that was used to destroy my home. It almost exposed our plan."

"There has been no sign of Arsenal or Jason since the attack. They didn't go to the Justice League. They are either working for themselves or for some one else. Maybe some one in this conversation."

"How dare you accuse any of us Luthor!"

Klarion laughs. "Sounds like a guilty conscience to me."

"Shut up witch boy."

"Oh Queen dear your powers don't work on me." Klarion laughs again. "It is as ridiculous as the Chaos Lord of Atheism."

"We are getting off topic. With the removal of Black Manta we need a seventh. Darkness can not remove darkness. Only The Light can do that."

"Then we shall find one." One screen goes dark.

Lex turns away from the blank screen. "Fools. They feel they are playing the Justice League and each other. They are nothing but pawns."

"While I'm a Bishop?"

"Yes Deathstroke. If I have my way you will join the rest of us."

"There is only room for one King on the Chess Board."

"Actually two Kings fit on the board."

"But not seven."

**Watchtower**

**July 24****th**** 9:30 UTC**

Aqualad has Team Gamma with him as they sort through the file cabinets. "Is any of this in a language that's been spoken in the past five thousand years?"

"Doesn't seem that way Aqualad." Static throws a pile of paper on the floor. "Dude is seriously old isn't he?"

"He's older than the Sphinx. He's older than the wheel." Batgirl gets up and growls in frustration. "I finally find some thing and we can't read any of it!"

"Wonder Woman was caught on camera with the last cabinet. She got caught for nothing." Wonder Girl kicks a cabinet and it smashes in to the wall.

"My Scarab can't even translate it. It is older than the Reach's first contact with Earth."

"Then there is no way of knowing what it says."

Batgirl lets out a scream. "Calm down Batgirl."

"You calm down! Aqualad you were on me about this mission and I finally find some thing that might help and we can't read any of it!"

"While you scream I have been thinking of a plan." Aqualad taps a file cabinet. "Miss Martian can read Vandal's mind so she can figure out what these say."

"If we can find him. He's some where in outer space."

"She has a Bioship."

"Oh, right. So you're sending Team Alpha to look for him?"

"Yes."

"So what do we do now?" Batgirl, being the leader of Team Gamma, confronts Aqualad.

"I want you to investigate the attack on Ra's Al Ghul and on who stole the Green Kryptonite from Lex Luthor."

"Why isn't Team Beta doing that? They were there when it was stolen in the first place."

"They're on assignment investigating the Reach drink. With Team Alpha. When they come back I'll get Miss Martian on this."

"Still? We've tested the soda a dozen times there is nothing in it."

"It may be random bottles and we've just gotten unlucky. So I'm sending them to the source."

"So you want us to go to Lex Corp and dust for prints after Team Alpha and Beta blew it up. Great."

"No. I've been asking questions and have people checking the black market for the Kryptonite. I want you to infiltrate the black market and see if you can find it before they find a buyer while having a separate team look for some one who uses bombs, bullets, and lasers."

Robin looks up from documents he had been scanning. "Like Arsenal?"

"Why would Arsenal attack Ra's Al Ghul?"

"No idea. But he has all three of those and doesn't work for the League, the Team, or the Light."

"Tim that's brilliant!" Batgirl gives him a high five.

"That makes sense. No one in the League thought of him."

"They haven't seen him in action Aqualad."

"That _jefe _was crazy."

"I'll let the League know and we'll look for Arsenal and find out why he attacked."

"We could do that."

"No. Find the Kryptonite. It is Superman's main weakness. If some one has it they have it to hurt him."

"No masks. It will be different from our usual work."

"No you will be wearing masks just different ones. This is a kind of villain black market. Be on the look out for Joker, Riddler, so forth."

"Great." Batgirl shakes her head. "I have a backup costume for other work."

"I only have the Scarab."

"You are kind of a big bad. How many people know you helped save the world?"

"The Light."

"Oh. Right. Well BB can go as some thing else."

"I'll leave it to you to figure that out. I have my own mission."

"For the League?"

"No. Batgirl if you need to contact some one try the Watchtower before you try me. I'll be busy." Aqualad walks away.

**Lex Corp Bottling Plant**

**July 24****th**** 23:12 UTC**

Miss Martian shifts through a door and unlocks it. The other members of Team Alpha and Team Beta come in quickly and quietly. "Look for any chemicals that shouldn't be here."

"Like what? I don't know what goes in to making a soda." Beast Boy turns in to a dog and starts sniffing around.

"Superboy stay on watch."

"Only two janitors in the building right now and neither on the bottling floor."

"Nope. Nope. Nope." Kid Flash was a blur checking around the bottling floor of the factory for any signs of a strange chemical.

Bumblebee flies through one of the ends of the conveyor belt. "Sure is dark in here." She flies out the other side and sees machines that would take individual bottles out of a packing box and place it on the conveyor belt. "I'm not finding any thing back here."

"Try and find where the soda is stored before it gets put in a bottle." Miss Martian flies up near a machine looking for any signs of hidden equipment. We've tested dozens of bottles but there was no chemical in any of them that points to Reach technology."

"What if Lex is just making a soda to make money? Guy is a business man."

"We can't take that chance Guardian." Miss Martian sees some tubes and follows them through the ceiling and in to the room above the bottling plant.

In front of her were thousand gallon tanks filled with different flavored soda. "Bumblebee I'll need some test tubes."

"Where you at?"

"Second floor above the bottling plant. I can't shift a test tube through the ceiling so you'll need a way through."

"On it."

**Pacific Coast**

**July 25****th**** 00:28 UTC**

Aqualad sees a submarine in the distance. A hatch opens and a very familiar person climbs up through it. "Hello Black Manta."

"Father, call me father."

"Why did you want to meet me? I'll never work for the Light."

"And neither will I." The submarine moves close enough Black Manta can walk in to the shallow waters and up the beach to Aqualad.

"You are the Light."

"Not any more." Black Manta takes his helmet off. "Son, I was unceremoniously removed due to my inability to see what was right in front of me."

"All it takes to be kicked off is to have a traitor work for you for months?"

"Yes. But you are a traitor to them. You are still my son. I, I won't join the Justice League but I will not work against them."

"Why should I believe you?"

"When Black Beetle went to kill you I threw myself in front of you. Even after knowing your betrayal I would risk my own life to save you."

"You then attacked me."

"I was enraged! Once I knew your life was safe I felt the need to punish you for lying to me. For betraying me!"

Aqualad takes a step back and reaches for his water bearers. "Stop."

"I'm sorry. I know what it must seem like to you. But you are still my son. After taking some time to contemplate my next course of action I realized that there are some things more important than my plans against Atlantis and King Orin."

"It seems like some one is trying to trick me. Some one working for the Light."

"I'm not! I have been removed. Which I now welcome."

"I still do not trust you."

"Then bring some one with you."

"With me? You think I would get on your ship?"

"Yes. Because I am going to King Orin and asking for a treaty. A truce. If I go on my own he may attack. If you are with me he will see I am serious and can be trusted."

"You can not be trusted."

"You can. Kaldur'ahm come with me. Bring Artemis. Bring a Justice League member."

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because it was foolish of me to side with the Light. Their plan was to bring Earth in to the spotlight. They did that and yet it did not help me. It only ended with my own son betraying me and fighting me. Those months I spent with you I felt like a family. We were a family. The Light will stab each other in the back. Family? They may hate each other but when it comes down to it they will fight for each other. Sportsmaster and Cheshire tried to kill us because they thought you killed Artemis."

"Even though Sportsmaster clearly has no love for his own daughter."

"Exactly. Family is some thing one can count on. I want to count on my own son to help me end my war with Atlantis and King Orin."

"And then what?"

"I do not know. I will not join the League or stop being Black Manta. But I also will not help the Light. In fact I can tell you as much of their plan as I know."

"What do you think you know that we already do not?"

"How would I know until I tell you what I know? They considered me a lower class. I know they hid many things from me but I must know things you and your friends do not." Black Manta moves his hand forward. "Join me son on my trip to Atlantis. Help me end my war and help your friends against the Light."

"That is it. They kicked you out and now you want revenge."

"See it as you may I will still help you." Black Manta keeps his hand out.

"Very well, father." Aqualad shakes his hand. "When do we leave?"

"Would you like to call on a friend to come with you?"

"No." Aqualad follows Black Manta on to the submarine. He keeps one hand hear a water bearer just in case.

**Jump City**

**July 25****th**** 8:00 UTC**

A man leaves a hospital room hungry. He had been in his son's room since a horrible car accident but knew he had to eat. "Hello there Dr. Stone."

He looks up and sees a man in a nice suit. It takes him a second for his mind to realize who it was. "Lex Luthor?"

"Yes." Luthor hands him a cup of coffee. "Headed to the cafeteria?"

"Yes."

"Follow me. I have better food in my limo."

"I, I can't leave the hospital. My son,"

Luthor cuts him off. "Is in a coma and he may never wake up. Unless you come with me to my limo." Lex Luthor starts walking and Dr. Stone follows him.

In the limo Luthor offers Dr. Stone a plate with a prime rib steak and a side of a garlic baked potato. "As I said I have better food."

"Why are you here?"

"Straight to the point then." Luthor pours himself a glass of wine. "I have been working with the UN to form the UN League. A group of heroes with oversight from the UN."

"And?"

"And I believe your son has all the qualities to become not just a great hero but the leader of the UN League."

"My son has been crippled for life by a drunk driver! This isn't funny!" Dr. Stone tries to open the door but finds it is locked.

"Of course not. I know Star Labs has been doing a lot of work on cybernetics but I assure you my company is far more advanced. My secretary is more machine than human and yet I bet you never noticed."

"She, she looked normal."

"Exactly. Of course she is just a secretary so she was given enough to make her serviceable. Your son however would be improved."

"You could just make him normal. He, he won the Heisman trophy last year and was going to try for it again."

"Never. The BCS would never allow a cyborg on a NCAA team. Even if he looked normal."

"I, I guess."

"So I will make him better. He is a natural leader who led his team to its first undefeated season and championship game. He is strong and smart and being your average American will represent America far better than some alien or man in a cape."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. I will be investing billions in to this project alone. Taking heroes from all over the world to represent the UN and their host countries."

"I, I don't know. I'd have to ask him but he, his brain," Dr. Stone fights back tears.

"I understand. But you know he'll never wake up. I can repair him. I can make him better."

"Like the six million dollar man?"

"Your son will be worth a lot more than that." Lex finishes his glass of wine as the car slows to a stop back in front of the hospital. "Go ahead and take the rest of your meal with you. Think about the future of your son. Cripple, brain dead, gone. Or a Hero of America, the UN, and the World."

"Thank you Mr. Luthor."

"Just Luthor."

"Thank you Luthor." Dr. Stone hears the door unlock and he opens it. "I don't have your number."

"A card was left in your son's room."

"Thank you again Luthor." Dr. Stone gets out and closes the door behind him.

As Mercy drives the limo away Luthor smiles and taps a tablet computer. Several faces appear on it. "One down. How many more will fall in to place?" He taps on a picture of a man in a suit of armor colored red white and blue. "First we need to open the portal and keep it stable." He goes through some other pictures wondering if the rest would be as easy as Dr. Stone and his son.

**Gotham City**

**July 25****th**** 17:04**

A knock at the door gets Alfred to leave the parlor where he had been tidying up after Tim had played a game of _the floor is lava_. He claimed it was to improve his agility and leaping ability.

Alfred opens the door and sees no one. He looks down and sees an envelope. "Very well then." He picks it up and is surprised to see the name on it. _Batman_.

Bruce is in bed recovering from a rough fight with some of the Joker's thugs when Alfred presents him the letter. "I would say it might be Tim or one of the others playing a joke but this is not his or the others handwriting." Bruce rips the letter open.

_Hello Bruce Wayne. Yes I know who you are which limits for you who wrote this. The great detective that you are I am sure you are already trying to figure out who wrote this. There are many more now who know who you are. A benefit of being a member of the Light._

_As it were I would like to set up a meeting with you. I know what you must be thinking and no it is not a trap. Our little war has been pointless. What have we achieved? I killed one of your sons but I brought him back. Unfortunately Arsenal came and took him. I do not know what he wants with Jason but I do not believe it to be good. That poor soul has been warped. _

_You may find it a bit hypocritical that I care about either of them. I was part of the plan to take Roy and make clone. It was my lack of control of the Joker that killed your son. While death is a necessary thing in this world it must have a point. You kill a cow to feed yourself. You kill an attacker to protect yourself. What happened to Jason was pointless._

_We have tried locating Roy and your son but have failed. I don't know if the League has been keeping track of Roy but if you have I hope you find him and rescue your son._

_If you want to meet and find out more about your son please meet me at midnight on August first. A place of great significance to you._

_Sincerely, _

_A member of the Light_

Bruce re reads the note. "Savage knows who I am. He must have told the others. Including Ra's."

"Do you believe Jason is still alive?"

"With the Lazarus Pit Ra's has staid alive for over a hundred and twenty years and come back from certain death at least four times that I know of. If he used it on Jason then yes Jason would be alive."

"They said his body was destroyed by the bomb."

"How much money passed between one of Ra's men and the inspectors to make that report?" Bruce gets out of bed and cringes.

"You are still in pain."

"I have to go to the Watchtower and see if any one has information on Roy." Bruce ignores his pain and goes to the Batcave.

**Central City**

**July 26****h**** 1:00 UTC**

Nightwing sits on top of a building. "Any thing on your side?"

"No. I saw two guys try and break open a newspaper dispenser but I chased them off. You?"

"Nothing. Who ever the arrow man is he isn't out tonight."

"At least not where we've been looking. I'm going near that convenience store where that picture was taken."

"They've struck all over the city which makes it hard to pinpoint where they might strike next."

"But we know they did hit there."

"Be safe Artemis."

"Tigress. I'm wearing my mask I'm Tigress."

Nightwing goes near the hospital where two victims were. He had interviewed them earlier and both confirmed it was a man's voice. They couldn't tell how old the voice was as the person spoke in a dark mumbling voice to hide their age. Both had been paralyzed at the waist.

He hears a siren and notices it is driving towards the east side of the city where Artemis, Tigress, was. "Tigress what's going on?"

"I don't know. I heard a scream but can't find the source."

"Some one called the police."

"I hear the siren. I'll follow it to find out where it is going."

"I'll be on my way."

By the time Nightwing made it the police had already called for an ambulance. A man was being lifted on to a stretcher after being shot in the knees. "Why does he shoot some of them in the knees but some of them in the back?"

"No idea. I could never do that though. I mean I could make the knee shot sure but to shoot some one in the back like that? Paralyzing them? No way. Not after what happened to my mother."

Nightwing notices a blue flashing light. "There's a watch camera on this block."

"There is?"

"Yes. I'll see if I can't get the footage and get some details on the attacked."

"I'll look for any signs of the attacker." Tigress and Nightwing split up.

**Jump City**

**July 26****th**** 3:15 UTC**

Jason and Arsenal high five each other. "That was awesome."

"They never saw it coming Red X."

"Do you think this is too flashy? I think the hood is a little much."

"I have a large laser arm and use rocket launchers. We're all about the flash. Now maybe if you made it a bright red hood that would be flashy."

"I'd look like a match stick, no." The two open bags of fast food. "Drug dealers are so much easier to intimidate than insane clowns or guys who use advanced science and call it magic."

"And they carry cash. Hard to buy a burger with Joker venom." Arsenal takes a big bite of a burger and a little ketchup drips on his shirt.

**Atlantis**

**July 26****th**** 5:50 UTC**

Black Manta's submarine is intercepted by Atlantean forces. "Stand down!"

A holographic image appears in the water. "We mean no threat. I am bringing Black Manta to King Orin for peace talks."

"Kaldur'ahm?"

"Yes Garth."

"I, I don't know if we can trust you."

"If you want I will lead Black Manta to the capitol building with out the ship."

"I will escort you then."

Garth and Aqualad lead Black Manta to the center of the city. Other guards were already waiting for them. "You risk a lot by doing this Kaldur'ahm."

"I know. If my father's intentions are true then he must be given a chance."

"The King has been alerted of your presence." The guards move away giving Aqualad and his father room to move forward.

King Orin sees the two coming. "Kaldur'ahm, Manta."

Black Manta moves past Aqualad. "King Orin. Thank you seeing us on such short notice."

"Be on notice you will be dealt with if you attempt any attack."

"If I wanted to attack you I would have already. I am not here for that."

"What are you here for and why is Kaldur'ahm with you?"

"My Son is merely here to show you that I mean no harm."

"Kaldur'ahm?"

"My father was kicked out of the Light and wishes revenge. He is not able to do that alone and seeks the Justice League to do his dirty business."

"The Justice League are not your pawns, Manta."

"Of course not. My son does not trust me yet."

"With good reason."

"Yes, well, I do want to hurt the Light. I was always considered second class. They kept me out of the loop on several things. But I know things that will hurt them and help you."

"If you have such information and we deem it credible it would be appreciated."

"I am here for more than that." Black Manta extends his hand. "I have waged a personal war against you and your people for years. What has it gotten me? My own son betrayed me! My wife, the beautiful Alshon'rha, loved her people. But when she died under your command I wanted revenge."

"Even though it was not my fault."

"You gave her the order!"

Aqualad and several guards reach for their weapons.

"I am not here to attack. I am here to offer peace. My Alshon'rha would not want me warring with her people. Our son."

"So you come to us asking for peace from a war you started. Isn't that a surrender?"

"No. It is merely shifting my attention to other more important things. Like Bruce Wayne."

Aqualad and Aquaman are shocked to hear the billionaire's name. They knew who he was but how did Black Manta? "What do you mean Manta?"

"The Light plans to remove him from play. He funds the Justice League and Batman so it makes sense. How they are going to do this I was never told. You should look at protecting Wayne at all costs."

"We will contact the League and Batman and see what we can do to protect Mr. Wayne." Both Atlantean's are relieved that Black Manta did not know the truth.

"That is just a little of what I know. If we can talk I think I can help the League and show at least to my son that I can be trusted."

**July 26****th**

**Central City 11:00 UTC**

Nightwing sneaks in to the hospital room of the last victim. "Who are you? Please don't hurt me!"

"Calm down. I'm looking for the man who hurt you."

"Man? It, it sounded like a woman. She laughed and told me to get on my knees and beg. I told her to go jump off a cliff so she put me on my knees."

Nightwing sees the bandages around the man's knees. "Are you sure it was a woman?"

"Yes. She was shorter than I was. Shorter than you. The suit thing she wore hid her pretty well but it was a woman."

Nightwing knew the person doing this wasn't shorter than he was. The video from the store proved it. The other victims he interviewed all said it was a man. "I need the video from last night." He taps a device on his ear. "Artemis I'm going to see if I can't get the video now."

"Ok. Did he have any thing useful on this guy?"

"No. Do you have any information on the arrows?"

"They aren't custom made. I ran the serial numbers and found they can be sold in any sporting goods store or the internet."

"So any one could have bought them. There kills that lead."

"I can see who bought some in the area and if any of them match the size and build of the attacker."

"Want me to bring any thing when I get back? We need any milk?"

"No. Just, you know, more _things._"

"Got it. See ya later."

Nightwing sits on top of the police station. "Gotham would at least have cameras on the roof. These guys are so trustworthy." He hacks in to the camera database used by the city after snaking a cable through a vent and attaching it to the mainframe.

He finds the right camera. "Rewind." The video goes backwards until he stops it at just after one in the morning. "There it is."

He sees a man running down the sidewalk. Some one lands in front of him wearing the same dark bluish black suit from the only picture that had been released. There are words exchanged and then the man is shot in both knees dropping him to the ground.

Nightwing pauses the video as the attacker stands over the victim. They are next to a truck. "That's not the same person." He knew that style of truck and knew the truck bed was at his shoulders. This person could just reach the top of it with their head. The first person was his height so this couldn't be them.

Nightwing takes the video back to Artemis' apartment. "Watch this."

"What is, oh, from last night."

"How did they fire off two arrows that fast?"

"Auto loader. Things are tricky and jam. Why I don't use them. It might take a second or two to manually notch an arrow but I've never jammed in the middle of a battle."

"Notice any thing else?"

"No."

"They're shorter than the first picture."

Artemis leans in closer. "Are they? How can you tell?"

"The truck next to them. They are barely head height to the top of the truck bed."

"So there are two of them."

"Why there are two different styles."

"One is a better archer."

Nightwing nods. "Yes. One of us is a better archer."

"What?"

"Artemis they're the same height as you."

"So?"

"The other one is my height and build. This didn't start until after what happened to Wally. Until after I came here."

"That doesn't mean any thing! It isn't us. You would never do this. I could never shoot some one in the back like that."

"You wouldn't because of your mother. I asked the victims and they all said it was a man. Except I only asked those who were paralyzed. I finally ask one who was shot in the knees and he said it was a woman."

"That doesn't mean it was us!"

"We should both go to the Watchtower and stay there. If it isn't us these attacks will continue. If it is us then they will stop and we will need to get help."

"It can't be! That attack happened last night and I was out there as Tigress. That person is clearly not Tigress."

"Split personalities can come up any time. I was on the other side of town you could have gone any where and changed."

"Where? Where do we keep the clothes and weapons? Why would I use an auto loader on a wrist unit? Both suck."

"Maybe if you're fighting Black Beetle but crippling some guy who was smashing windows? You don't need to fight them hand to hand. You just shoot them in the knee and walk away."

"No. I refuse to believe it. The time they got the store camera picture he shot them in the knees while running. You already said you couldn't make that shot."

"I, well, maybe we worked together on that one."

"No one has ever reported two. Only one."

"I don't know! I need time to investigate this. It is two people our height and build. One a great archer the other one only so-so. Those paralyzed saying a man while those shot in the knees saying it was a woman."

"You said you only talked to one who had been shot in the knees. Talk to the others before accusing me of this."

"I'm not saying it is you I am saying it is both of us. We don't even know we're doing it."

Artemis smirks. "If we are staying on the Watchtower I guess we won't need more _things."_

"It was fun while it lasted."

"Yes, it was fun. Doesn't have to be over."

"I know you aren't ready for any thing serious and I,"

Artemis cuts him off with a kiss on the cheek. "Who said any thing about getting serious? This was just fun and a way to connect with some one. I don't want or need any thing serious. I doubt you do either. It would cramp your style with Barb or Zatanna or Raquel or..." Artemis ends her sentence with a laugh.

"I'll go interview the other victims but you should start packing your things."

"Fine. But I know it isn't us."

**Outer Space**

**Unknown Unknown**

War World appears over a planet. It is covered with cities from pole to pole. "How cute. They think they are safe." War World activates and fires. Darkseid had modified it to make it even more powerful.

Desaad watches next to Darkseid. "But won't the others retaliate?"

"Against who? Savage was foolish to alert his presence to the galaxy. Every one knows he controls War World don't they? They will go after him and his planet." Darkseid continues his attack on the planet eliminating the people on it in a matter of minutes.

**A/N Another chapter and even more mysteries! What is Lex planning? Why is he planning to make a new team of heroes? And is Nightwing right that the attacker, now attackers, are he and Artemis? Or was Artemis right? And is Black Manta on the up and up? After rewatching Summit it hit me that even knowing he had been lied to Black Manta threw himself in front of Aqualad when Black Beetle went to attack him. No hesitation. Of course he then attacked Aqualad but he wasn't trying to kill him. And what is the plan for Bruce? Watch next... well, maybe next week it depends on when I find the time, to find out! If I reveal it next episode. I don't know yet this is really all just happens as I write it. I have ideas written out but no idea when I'll use them.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 4**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Watchtower**

**July 28****th**** 9:22 UTC**

Dick walks in to a common room and sees Garfield watching television. "What are you doing here?"

Garfield is leaning back in a couch. He waves his hand in the air. "Megan and Conner are whatevering at her place. So I came here to watch T.V."

Dick checks the time. "Why don't you go to an arcade or some thing?"

Garfield rolls his eyes and leans back over the couch so his head hangs down over it. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Garfield slumps back in to his seat on the couch. "I'm green dude. Kids with green skin get made fun of worse than some one with braces."

Dick walks over to the couch and stands behind it. He pats Garfield on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. To us you're just Garfield. Beast Boy. We don't care that you're green."

Garfield slumps forward trying to hide the look on his face. "It's ok I'm cool with it. I get to fight aliens and save the world."

"You aren't fighting aliens all the time. When Megan is, whatevering as you put it, with Conner you need to be able to go out and do your own thing." Dick smiles as he goes around and sits on the couch next to Garfield. "I have a friend who makes glamour charms. She can make one for you so you can go to the mall or school once it starts back up."

Garfield laughs. "School? I don't go to school. My mom taught me every thing I needed to know. So I don't know what year some old dead guy did some thing. Or what happens if you mix acid with alkaline stuff. I'm not a scientist or going to work at a museum. I'll fight crime with the team until I get added to the League."

"And then?"

Garfield gives Dick a quizzical look. "No and then. I'm a hero."

"Every hero retires."

"Not every hero."

Just the reminder of what happens to heroes who don't get to retire gives Dick a moment of pause. "You want to retire sooner or later. We all will. I've been taking some time off and it felt good. I don't want to retire yet but I know one day I will."

"Why would I retire? What would I do? I'd still be green. Even if you make me a glamour charm." Garfield turns to Dick. "What's a glamour charm?"

**Lex Corp Secret Lab**

**Unknown**

A portal is open. Lex observes as he waits for a team he sent through it to come back. He stands with his arms crossed as he taps his foot.

The portal shimmers and two men walk through it carrying a suit of armor. It was colored red white and blue.

Another man walks in behind them with a shield that is round with red and white stripes. In the middle was a white star surrounded by blue.

Lex clears his throat. "Where is the serum?"

A scientist talks softly. "The third team has not responded yet Sir."

"What was that?"

The scientist talks louder. "The third team has not yet responded. Sir."

The man with the shield walks up to Luthor. "This shield is light Sir."

Luthor takes the shield from the man. "It is. I've seen this shield stop tank shells. What kind of metal is this made out of? I'll need it analyzed before I put it in to use." He hands the shield back to the other man.

The portal shimmers again and a third group run through. "Close the portal!"

A scientist hits a button and the portal disappears.

Luthor grabs one of the men. "Did you get it?"

"Yes Sir." Another man from the group walks up with a suitcase. "I have a dozen samples of it in here."

Luthor smiles as he lets the first man go. "You have all done a wonderful job. The UN thanks you as well do I." Luthor turns back to the control panel. "There were other teams. Make sure they get here." Luthor walks away leaving the rest to his people.

The first scientist turns the portal back on. "Team four is coming in now."

Three men walk through. One carries a long sword. A second carries a black helm much like the helm of Dr. Fate. The third man comes in carrying a large kite shield.

The portal shimmers and a fourth man walks through carrying a greenish yellow rock.

The scientist marks the men off from a list and closes the portal.

**Watchtower**

**July 29****th**** 12:30**

Hal Jordan sits with Miss Martian, Superboy, and Beast Boy. "Two planets have been destroyed by War World. The other Green Lanterns are still trying to figure out the next target but these three," Hal points at a star chart. "Are the most likely."

"Thank you. It will help narrow down the needle in the haystack." Miss Martian studies the star chart. "Will the Lanterns try and stop it if we find it?"

"It is our job. It might take all three of us and then some. It sounds like Savage upgraded War World to make it even more powerful."

"If we find it I'll let you know. I only need to read his mind so I can read his documents Team Gamma found."

"If the Lantern Corp find it I'll alert you so you can try and read his mind first."

**Detroit**

**July 30****th**** 2:39 UTC**

Batgirl and Robin in matching green and black skin suits with matching masks are in an old warehouse.

Around them are various thugs and criminals with a couple people they identify. "Riddler is here. So is the Penguin."

Robin nods and motions to another person. "I see Icicle Junior."

Batgirl cranes her neck and sees him. "What would he be here for? He usually works for the Light."

"Maybe the Light sent him to bid and get it back."

"If he has Lex Luthor backing him he might give us a run for our money."

"Don't worry Venom we can do this."

Batgirl, Venom, stifles a laugh. "Sure Poison."

A man they didn't recognize walks up to a podium. He taps a microphone a couple of times before speaking. "Behind me are three items all worth more than their weight in gold. Item number one," A crate opens revealing a strange looking gun. "Is a Gravity Gun. What is this some may ask?" He picks up the gun. "You're merely mortal. You can't possibly lift say, a car could you?" He aims the gun and pulls the trigger.

Behind the bidders a car lifts in the air. "See how easily I can do this? With one finger you could lift even the heaviest vault or armored bank car. A beautiful piece of Reach technology for the right person who bids enough."

One man, tall but skinny, raises a long bony arm in the air. "Twenty G's!"

"Oh and we get the first bid before I even start! Twenty grand sounds like a good start does any one bid higher?"

Icicle Jr. raises his hand. "Twenty five!"

Another person they don't recognize shouts. "Forty large!"

A woman raises her arm. It stretches several feet. Long dagger like nails adorn finger several inches longer than normal. "Fifty thousand."

Venom keeps an eye on the woman. "She looks like a female version of Plastic Man."

"Should we bid on this? It is a pretty cool weapon."

"We're here for the Kryptonite Robin. Er, Poison."

"But we are here as villains. We should bid." Poison raises his hand. "Fifty five!"

"Now we're up to fifty five thousand do we have sixty thousand?"

The stretchy woman snaps her fingers. "Sixty!"

Batgirl taps the side of her head and a camera starts recording every one around them.

The bidding continues until it reaches one hundred twenty thousand. "Going once. Going twice. And-"

"One hundred thirty five thousand!"

Venom hits poison in the side. "Poison, no!"

"And we have a new high bid. Going once. Going twice. Sold!" The man picks the Gravity Gun up. "What a steal. May your next heist go as well as this bid!"

"Poison we weren't here for that!"

"But now we have it." Poison smiles underneath the mask. "We have a stolen credit card any ways what do you care?"

The man at the podium offers up the next item. "This next one is a real doozy. Those two may be kicking themselves for bidding on the first item after they get a look at this."

The man opens a crate and pulls out... A book. "Some of you might be wondering what is so special about this book." He holds the book up higher. "I know there are some magic users in the audience tonight. Some may have heard hushed words about a demon god of Chaos so powerful all others fear him. Except no one knows if he exists."

He slams the book down on the podium. "But inside here holds the truth!" He paces the stage back and forth throwing his hands up as he talks. "You who think can control the forces of chaos will NEED this book! Shout out if you think you can control the forces of chaos!"

Several voices in the crowd echo around the warehouse. "I can't hear you! Who thinks they can become more powerful than any other magic user out there today?"

More voices shout out. "Come on! A book this powerful is priceless but we'll start at fifty thousand!"

"Seventy five!"

"Oh boy they aren't playing around are they? Or you?" He points at a couple people in the audience. "How about you? Do you think you're ready to step in to the big leagues?"

"One hundred thousand!"

"One hundred fifty thousand!"

Poison and Venom look at each other. They were sent to get one item. They already spent over one hundred thousand on a powerful and dangerous weapon. Could they spend more on a book? "If this thing is as powerful as they say it is Dr. Fate or Zatanna would probably like a good long look at it."

"I know Venom but it isn't our money we're spending."

"Batman will just have to cancel his cards and claim they were stolen." Venom raises her hand. "Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars!"

"There's some serious game changers in the room! Who are you?"

"I'm Venom and this is my partner Poison." Venom tries to lower the tone of her voice to make herself sound older.

"And where are you from?"

"Little place called none of your business. Just sell us that book."

"Spit fire! I'll sell it to you if you're the highest bidder!"

"And she's not!" Icicle Jr. raises his cold fist in the air. "Three hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Five hundred thousand!"

Icicle Jr. glares at Venom. "I'm playing with money from a very deep pocket."

Venom tries glaring back but it doesn't work well under the mask. "I bet our pockets are deeper. Try me."

"One million dollars."

Poison puts a hand on Venom's shoulder. "Uh, Venom, maybe we should just back off."

She shrugs it off. "Two million."

Icicle Jr. snaps his fingers creating a little ice. "Five million."

"Ten million."

"Don't play with me little girl. Twenty five million."

"Fifty."

The auctioneer leans on the podium watching the two bidders. If they were serious with their bids he'd make tens of millions more than he thought he would.

"Seventy five million! Right now on the spot in cash."

Venom holds her hands up in surrender.

"It looks like we have a winner! Going once. Going twice. Sold for seventy five million dollars!"

Poison leans down to Venom. "Well we just blew a ton of Luthor's money."

"For nothing. We're stealing that book." Venom taps her wrist. "Blue Beetle can you hear me?"

"Sure can jefe."

"I want you waiting with the others for Icicle Jr. He has a very expensive book. We want it.

"I'll let the others know."

The auctioneer picks up a small metal box. "This next item may interest some. It might be considered worthless to others." He opens the box.

People ooo and aaa at the object inside. "This ladies and gentlemen is green Kryptonite." He tips the box so others can see. "Who here wants to fight Superman and win?"

Poison raises his hand. "Five million."

Every one looks at him and his partner Venom. He shrugs his shoulders and tries to laugh off the intensity of the room. "If we're going big we're going to draw his attention."

The woman who could stretch her body walks over to the two. "What are you planning?"

Venom gets between the woman and Poison. "Some thing big. We need all the help we can get so are looking for a few new items to add to our collection."

"If you need help I'd love to throw in if it is as big as you're making it out to be."

"As would I." A man with a deep, deep, voice makes Poison jump as he realizes the man was directly behind him.

"Uh, well, it is just us. Sorry. If we need help we'll uh, post wanted ads on the internet."

The Riddler points a staff with a question mark on the end. "They've got nothing! Seven million!"

"Nothing? Really Nigma? Is twenty million nothing?"

Riddler stomps his foot on the floor in anger. "Don't call me that!"

The auctioneer tries to take back control from the two arguing villains. "We have a new bid. Will any one match it?"

Icicile Jr. raises his hand. "One hundred million dollars."

The crowd gasps. The auctioneer leans towards the microphone. "Did you just jump it up to one hundred million dollars?"

"Yes. I have a score to settle with Superboy. I bet this will tip things in to my favor."

"And you have the money? Including the money to pay for the second item?"

"You know it."

Venom and Poison take a few seconds to comprehend what happened. "He must be working for Lex Luthor. No way he has that kind of money."

"But we need it Venom."

"So does he. Only difference is we're stealing what ever he buys." Venom chuckles. "Let us see how much of his money we can blow through." She raises her hand. "One twenty."

"One fifty!"

Poison raises his hand this time. "Two fifty."

Icicle Jr. screams at the top of his lungs. "Five hundred million dollars! That's half a billion dollars!"

"You heard him half a billion dollars! Going once!" The auctioneer looks at Poison and Venom hoping for another bid. If this all got paid for he'd be able to retire. "Going twice!" He was looking to make five, maybe ten million off this auction. Now he'd make almost six hundred million. "Sold! Sold for half a billion dollars.

Icicle Jr. sticks his tongue out at the two new villains.

The auctioneer thanks every one but tells those who lost to leave as soon as possible as he prepares for payments from the winning bidders.

Venom taps her wrist again. "Ok so we don't spend any money we let Jr. go first. Then you attack and steal every thing. Ready?"

"Ready." Blue Beetle motions to the other members of Team Gamma to get ready.

"_You could detonate the ceiling and cause the roof to collapse on the others taking them all out before they could react."_

"No my friends are inside."

Icicle Jr. is typing away on a tablet. "And there you go. Five hundred and seventy five million dollars." He smiles and picks up the book and the metal container with the green Kryptonite inside.

The auctioneer is about to turn to Poison and Venom when a giant blue staple hits Poison sticking him the wall behind him.

Wonder Girl leaps through a window and lands on top of Venom. She throws a punch and stops just short of hitting Venom.

Venom goes limp and acts as if she had been knocked out.

Icicle Jr. backs away. "No, no! I bought these fair and square! I didn't do any thing illegal!"

"Really?" Wonder Girl stands over the fallen Venom. "Then why are you in a dark abandoned warehouse?"

Blue Beetle points his arm at Icicle Jr. "Just surrender _perdedor_."

"I can't! I just spent way more money than I was approved of to get this stuff! I wasn't even supposed to get the book." He drops the book on the floor. "But the Kryptonite belongs to the guy who paid me!"

Wonder Girl takes a couple steps towards Icicle Jr. "Then why didn't he report it stolen? If he knew about this why didn't he call the cops?"

"He didn't want to waste their time." Icicle Jr. turns and runs for it.

He makes it to the door and throws it open only to be punched immediately by Lagoon Boy.

Static sparks with energy. "Got it." He picks up the box holding the green Kryptonite.

The auctioneer now has four members of team Gamma cornering him in the warehouse. "I, I can explain. I paid for those items I swear."

Wonder Girl cracks her knuckles. "You paid for stolen items? That is a crime."

"I didn't know it was stolen!"

"Sure. Now you're going to tell us who you hired to steal the Kryptonite and we might let you off with a warning." She continues taking the lead as Batgirl pretends to be knocked out.

**Gotham City**

**August 1****st**** 0:02 UTC**

Batman is on the roof of a building near the old theater. He sees a car pull up and the door open.

He leaps down and lands behind the car. "Hello Ra's."

"Bruce." Ra's turns around. "Have you had any luck in locating your son?"

"No. If he is alive and with Roy they are keeping a low profile."

"They must be very well trained if neither the Light nor the Justice League can find them."

"They were trained by the best."

Ra's walks over to Batman. "Arsenal attacked my home. He some how knew your son was there. If the Justice League did not know then how did he?"

"Some one tipped him off. One of your men."

"I though of that." Ra's pulls out a piece of paper. "He sent a message to Mount Justice. Unfortunately that had been destroyed. So where did the message end up?"

Batman takes the paper from Ra's. "It didn't go to the Watchtower."

"Then where would it have gone?"

"I wouldn't tell you." Batman takes a step back.

"Very well. I hope you find your son." Ra's gets back in his car as Batman disappears in to the night.

**Jump City**

**August 1****st**** 7:15**

Lex Luthor walks in to a hospital room. He sees a father sleeping in a chair next to his injured son. "Mr. Stone."

The other man wakes up. "Mr. Luthor?"

"Luthor, just Luthor."

"Sorry. I, I know you said you'd give me time and,"

Luthor cuts him off. "I have given you enough time. What will it be? Will you allow me to make your son better than he could ever be? Make him a hero of the world? Or leave him as what that drunk driver made him."

Mr. Stone leans forward resting his head in his hands. He was too tired and worn out to cry any more. "I, he still hasn't woken up. I wanted to ask him but he won't wake up."

Luthor places a hand on the grieving father's shoulder. "Then do the right thing. Make him a hero. He'll never be allowed to play football again. He'll never be able to hear the cheers of those who love him. Unless you make him a hero. Then the world will cheer his name."

"Yes, ok, do it. Make him a hero." The man shakes his head. "Please fix my son. I'll do any thing for him to smile again."

Luthor smiles as he pulls away from Mr. Stone. "I will make him do much more than smile."

Luthor walks to an operating room in the same hospital. Inside was a young girl from Germany. She was being injected with some of the Super Serum he had recovered from a different dimension. "Don't worry young lady this is just the beginning for you."

**Atlantis**

**August 3****rd**** 11:05 UTC**

Black Manta and his son meet again in Black Manta's sub. "Thank you for agreeing to see me son."

"Your welcome father. Your information about where the auction would be held was correct."

"Of course it was son. You still don't trust me but I will prove my trust to you and the others."

"Like I proved my trust to you?"

Black Manta pounds his fist on the arm of the chair he sat in. "Yes. Like you proved yourself to me."

Aqualad crosses his arms. "We will never trust you."

"We? If only you would trust me."

"I doubt I ever will. I know what one can do to fool others."

"You better than most." Black Manta gets out of his chair and walks over to Aqualad. "But I will prove myself." He pulls a flash drive out of his pocket. "This has information on Lex Luthor's plans for a new superhero team. One he controls."

"Why are you just now sharing this?"

"If I gave you every thing I had then how would I lure you to come here? You only come to me when I have information for you and your friends."

Aqualad sees the look on his father's face. He hears the tone of his father's voice. "I would still come to see you. You are my father and I want to one day believe you. Trust you."

**Jump City**

**August 3****rd**** 14:20**

Lex Luthor watches from behind a glass window as several surgeons work on Victor Stone. "Apokolips technology and Reach technology combined with the body of a human will make the ultimate warrior." He takes a sip of his drink.

**Watchtower**

**August 4****th**** 23:30**

Nightwing, Dick, hears footsteps and turns around to see Artemis. "Hey."

She stops next to him and leans on the handrail. In front of them was the glass window that looked over the Earth. "Hey back. What are you doing?"

"Looking. Wondering. Hoping."

"Hoping for what?"

"A few things." She raises an eye brow. "I hope that it isn't us first of all. There have been no attacks since we came here."

"So? It still doesn't mean it was us."

"No, no it doesn't." He turns to Artemis. "I also hope maybe Zatanna is right."

"About what?"

"She says she can't find Wally in the spirit world. If he's not there then he wasn't killed he was just, some thing."

"If he was alive he would have come back. He would have come to me."

"He might not be on this world. What if that energy was like a zeta tube and he got transported off world? He could be on some alien world with no way of getting back."

"That isn't much better."

"At least he would still be alive." Dick hugs Artemis as she starts to cry. "And if he's alive then there is still a chance we could get him back." He looks at the Earth below and sees part of Japan which was previously light up go dark. "I think an earthquake just hit Japan."

"Huh?"

"Look at Japan." Artemis wipes tears from her eyes and looks.

"Some one turned a lot of lights off at once."

"The Justice League will be there to help."

**Tokyo**

**August 5****th**** 1:01**

Wonder Woman, Superman, Rocket, and Captain Marvel land in Tokyo and see who turned off the lights. "They were right it wasn't an earthquake." Rocket brings up an inertia field around herself as a rock is thrown at her.

In front of the four members of the Justice League were two men. One large and burly with skin made of rock towered over his partner.

The second one was short barely five foot and rail thin. Energy crackles around him. "Oh hello! Welcome to the show. Who wants to go first? I just drained all of Tokyo and surrounding areas of their energy."

Superman moves forward. "Stand down."

The two men laugh. The older one speaks with a booming voice. "Why should we? You can't hurt me or my brother."

Rocket takes a few steps forward. "You don't have to fight us. Talk with us."

The smaller brother responds. "Why?"

"So far it seems you just caused a power outage. Why? Do you have to absorb energy or is that some suit deal you're wearing?"

"You think it matters?" The smaller brother sparks with more energy.

Rocket holds her hands up. "We can help you. And your brother."

The older brother picks up another rock and raises it above his head. "Shut up! We don't need help from you or the other heroes." He throws the rock.

It bounces off of Rocket's shield. "I guess that means we're doing this the hard way."

The older brother charges Rocket. "I am all hard!" He slams in to her shield and bounces off.

"How did you gain these powers?" Wonder Woman has her lasso out. "When?"

"I don't know how we got these powers." The smaller brother is a yellow streak of energy as he appears behind Wonder Woman. "Why do you care? You'll just throw us in jail for being freaks."

"Freaks?" Captain Marvel points to the other members with him. "We have an alien, an Amazonian, a super smart woman with advanced technology, and me. Do you really think we'd care you're not normal?"

"Shut up!" The smaller brother snaps his fingers and a lightning bolt hits Captain Marvel in the chest.

"Were you always so violent?" Rocket keeps her shield up as the larger brother pounds on it with his stone fists.

The larger brother continues to beat on the shield to no effect. "Shut up and fight me!"

Superman is hit by a lightning bolt but ignores it. "Have you been drinking the Reach drink produced by Lex Corp?"

The smaller brother replies. "Yeah, so what? Every one does."

"We believe there is some thing in the drink that may have caused this to happen. If you stand down and let Star Labs study you we may be able to figure out how you gained your powers."

"We don't need to be studied! We have power now!" The smaller brother fires more lightning bolts at Superman but can't hurt him.

The larger brother goes to punch Rocket's shield again when she rebounds his kinetic energy back at him.

He crashes in to a car but was unharmed much like Superman. "Foolish girl my body is covered in a living stone armor."

"Not all of you." Rocket picks up a small rock and uses the built up kinetic energy to launch it at a much faster speed than she could throw it.

"Aaaa!" The larger brother grabs at his right eye.

Wonder Woman uses Rocket's distraction to get the lasso around the larger brother. "Why are you attacking? Why did you and your brother cause the power outage?"

"Because he needs energy to live. We have to attack. He needs too much energy. His entire body is energy now! I love my brother and I'll go and do any thing for him."

"Shut up brother!"

"He can't." Wonder Woman keeps the lasso tight around the larger brother. "But why must you attack? Can't you drain energy peacefully?"

"I, I don't know why. The anger and rage made it feel like the right thing to do."

"Shut up brother!" The smaller brother fires lightning at his own brother.

Superman was fast but he wasn't faster than lightning. "Watchtower this is Superman. We need some speed."

Martian Manhunter and Captain Atom receive Superman's message. "Flash you're needed in Tokyo."

"On it."

Superman and Captain Atom fly towards the smaller brother. "Stay away from me!" He fires electricity all around him.

"Nope." A red blur finds its way through the lightning and punches the smaller brother.

"Who was," He is punched again but harder knocking him out.

The larger brother goes limp as he surrenders.

Rocket goes up to the larger brother and looks at his injured eye. "We'll make sure that gets looked at. You'll be ok."

"Just don't hurt my brother."

"We won't. We just want to get you help." Rocket steps back as Superman picks up the larger brother.

**London**

**August 12****th**** 15:30**

Luthor walks in to an office. "Hello Mr. Laurie."

"Lex Luthor." The man stands up and holds his hand out.

Luthor shakes it. "You know why I am here."

"You wish to make my son in to some thing more than just a world class swordsman."

"He has already won several gold medals. But how would he like to become more? Olympic Champion is very impressive but I believe he could become more."

"How much more?" Luthor smiles as he starts explaining his plan to Mr. Laurie.

**Watchtower**

**August 14****th**** 22:30**

Batman is doing Watchtower duty alone when Nightwing sits next to him. "Bruce?"

"Dick."

Dick takes his mask off. "I have a theory of who has been doing the attacks in Central City."

"You and Artemis with split personalities?"

Dick shakes his head and sighs. "Of course you knew."

Batman checks all League members out in the field to make sure they didn't need any thing. When he is sure they are set he takes his headset off and turns to Dick. "I knew of your theory. It is why you two started staying here."

"So you don't think it is us?"

Batman reaches out and puts his hand on Dick's upper arm. "If I did I would have already made you see a psychiatrist."

"So who could it be?"

"Some one who knows who you are and is trying to make you doubt yourself."

Dick stands up and starts to pace back and forth. "The attacks stopped as soon as we left."

"Of course they did. The Light is keeping an eye on you."

"The Light know who I am? Then they know who you are."

"Only certain ones. Black Manta doesn't know but Ra's and Savage know. Luthor and Queen Bee may know as well as Klarion."

Dick stops and closes his eyes thinking of any thing that he could use to prove Bruce was right. "Artemis was awake when the last attack happened. The first attack was a man but he was a good shot. Those two cases are what keep throwing me off. All the other evidence points towards Artemis and I."

"All it takes is one piece of evidence to be wrong. You have two." Bruce stands up and goes to Dick. "Yet you doubt yourself."

"Because I know deep inside it could be us. Wally was killed fighting some great power. We have all faced life or death as Nightwing, Robin, Batman, so forth. What if some thing inside wanted to just deal with common scum? There isn't much risk from some punk breaking in to cars for the change inside."

"Except you have proof it isn't you or Artemis." Bruce hugs Dick for a second and then pulls away. "After Jason I've made sure to keep an extra eye on you, Tim, and Barbara. If it had been you I would have stopped you."

"Thank you Bruce."

Mentioning Jason, Bruce has a new question for Dick. "Do you know where Arsenal is?"

"No. Why?"

"Ra's contacted me and said Arsenal attacked his home."

"Team Gamma figured that out earlier."

"Yes but they don't know what he left with."

"You do?"

Bruce nods. "Ra's claims Jason was,"

"Jason?! He had his body?!" Dick kicks a chair knocking it over. "We were told the body was destroyed! He had the body the whole time? We couldn't even have a proper funeral!"

Bruce lets Dick shout a couple more times before speaking. "Not his body. Ra's claims he resurrected Jason."

Dick stops like he had been tased. "Jason's alive?"

"So Ra's claims."

"But, if, if he was rescued by Arsenal why hasn't he come back? Why didn't he contact us? How could he not tell us?"

"I don't know. I've used my resources and the League resources and couldn't find him. He was a member of the Team so maybe you will have better luck. I want you and Artemis to investigate. Find Arsenal and see if Jason really is alive or if this is a trick."

"I'll tell her right now. We'll start tonight."

Bruce grabs Dick by the arm. "Will you go back to her apartment?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"If you do just be safe."

"I doubt the Light will attack us in her apartment."

"Not the kind of safe I meant."

Dick blushes slightly as he realizes what Bruce meant. "I'll go tell her." He walks away letting Bruce go back to his Watchtower duties.

Artemis is already in bed after training with Black Canary earlier in the day. She had been getting cabin fever stuck on Watchtower for the past few days.

Dick knocks on her door. "Artemis?"

"Dick?" She gets up and opens the door. "What is it?"

"It isn't us."

"There was an attack?"

"No. But Bruce knows it wasn't us." She hugs him and he hugs her back.

"I told you it wasn't us."

Dick pulls away after a few seconds. "There's another reason I came here."

Artemis laughs. "Really? Is every one else gone?"

"No, not that. Jason, he, Bruce says Jason is alive."

Artemis gasps. "He can't be."

"Ra's has died before. He has the Lazarus Pit to resurrect himself.

"Why would he resurrect Jason?"

"I don't know. Arsenal saved Jason we have to find them."

"Just us?"

Dick smiles. "Bruce said he looked and couldn't find them. Since Jason was a Team member maybe we would have better luck."

"When do we start? I could use some time on Earth."

"Zeta tubes are always open."

Artemis smirks. "Unless there's a blizzard." Both laugh. "Let my get changed in to Tigress and I'll be ready."

Dick starts to leave when she closes the door. "Who said you had to leave?"

**UN Headquarters**

**August 16****th**

Lex Luthor stands at the main podium. The heads of nations from all over the world sit in their respective seats. "The Earth has been under the thumb of aliens, monsters, and worse. The Reach, Superman, Aquaman. They claim they come for the better of Mankind and yet things always seem worse."

There is applause from several members in attendance. "Why hasn't Earth turned to its own? Why not ask our own people to protect us? I have done so and I have created a new team of heroes. Heroes from all over Earth who will answer to the people."

A screen appears behind Luthor and shows several people.

The screen changes and shows just one of the people. The first one is a black athletic man. Parts of him are clearly machine. "This is Cyborg. Formally known as Victor Stone. Being from Jump City he represents America's west coast. Those of you who watch college football know he was a natural leader on the field. Now he will be the leader of the new team of heroes."

Cyborg steps on to the stage. He was now taller than before. Nearly seven feet tall he towered over Lex Luthor. "Hi!" He holds up the peace symbol. "Go Jump City Jack Backs!"

The screen changes and shows a man in a red, white, and blue suit. It was smaller and more form fitting than the one stolen from another dimension but was clearly based on it. "This is American Patriot. From the east coast he represents another part of America. I'm sure he'll let you know who he is."

American Patriot walks out. He also carries the round shield stolen from another dimension. "Hello America, World, I am here for you!" He raises the shield in the air. "I won't tell you my name but I'm sure you'll figure it out. Three time NCAA Wrestling Champion. Two Time Military World Games Champion. One time MMA Champion and record for longest win streak. I don't like to brag and I don't want to boast I just gotta say I'm the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be."

There are cheers and boos. "But don't think all heroes are American." Lex Luthor turns to the screen and sees a young teenage woman appear. "This is Ms. Marvel. From Berlin, Germany."

She does several flips and cartwheels on to the stage. She is wearing Thigh high boots with a gymnastic leotard in German flag colors. On her wrists are cuffs much like the ones Wonder Woman wears. On her face she wears a Domino Mask like Robin. "_Hallo!"_ She holds up the peace symbol like Cyborg had.

"Many of you who watch the Olympics may recognize her as Alexandra Stern. Three time Olympic Gold Medalist in gymnastics."

She smiles brightly and waves to the different cameras.

"Some who may worry for her safety should be told she is not just a gymnast. Lex Corp has made sure she is better than ever before. She may never compete in the Olympics again but she will become even greater as a World Champion."

"_Hallo!"_ She waves two peace signs as she bounces around on the stage.

Luthor sees the screen change again. "This next man from London, England, is a world class swordsman. Who better than to wield the most famous sword in the world? I present to you, Knightmare."

A man walks out in a dignified manner. He wears a helm much like Dr. Fate. He carries the kite shield as well that was stolen from another dimension.

But the most impressive thing he carried was a sword. Made from dragonbone imbued with magic from Merlin himself. It was lighter than aluminum but stronger than steel.

Behind him a dark blue cape flows as he walks. It is attached to the armor he wore. "Some may wonder what is his armor made from. It is made from the same material as American Patriot's armor. Nano Carbon fiber. Stronger than steel and as light as cotton. On his chest is the Crest of his family the Dragon wings surrounded a knight. Any words for the people Knightmare?"

"Enemies of England, the United Kingdom, and the UN beware my blade." He draws it from the scabbard and holds it high above his head.

Lex turns and sees the final member on the screen. A half black, half white, woman. Her skin is a light mocha color and her hair a dark red color. "The last member is from South Africa. Karen Starr is the only one joining who has not been in the spotlight before. But you will learn who she is in time." Luthor motions to the right side of the stage. "I present to you Power Girl."

She walks out on to the stage in a pure white unitard with a bright red cape. There is no symbol on her chest or cape. Her legs are covered by light blue leggings capped off by bright red boots. Her dark red hair flows down to the middle of her back.

She waves nervously to every one.

"Any words Power Girl?" She speaks so quietly no one can hear her. "What was that?"

"Hi."

Lex Luthor turns back to the head of nations in front of him. "With Heroes from all over the world we will protect Earth ourselves. No more aliens and Atlanteans or other monsters ruling us from some ivory tower in the sky. We will save ourselves from now on."

He basks in the applause from his audience. Behind him his newly formed team wave at the cameras, hold up the peace sign, and smile brightly. "Of course the world is a big place and we will always be looking for other heroes. Australia, Japan, China, Brazil, and all other UN members are welcome to introduce the world to their heroes. An open invitation to join the UN League to all those who feel they are ready and able to uphold the safety of the world."

Black Canary sits in the front row and shakes her head. These people, some of them teens, seemed like they had good intentions. But if they worked for Lex Luthor it could only spell trouble.

**Outer Space**

**Unknown**

The three Green Lanterns and Team Alpha hover waiting for War World. Each one guarding a different planet.

Unfortunately for another planet none of the four were near it.

War World appear over a planet. An aliens flies up to it. "Why are you here? We got your message! We want nothing to do with Earth."

Darkseid fires all the weapons on War World vaporizing the alien and every thing else on the planet.

**A/N Ah Luthor introduces his new team! Cyborg is of course Cyborg. American Patriot is a loud boastful world class wrestler and fighter wearing a slimmed down tight fitting version of the Iron Patriot armor and carries Captain America's shield. Knightmare is a British teen who competed in fencing competitions all over the world wearing magical items stolen from various dimensions. Ms. Marvel(Yes named after the Marvel Universe version) is a German Gymnast who was seen earlier receiving the super serum. American Patriot and Knightmare have also received it. Ms. Marvel has also been given Reach/Apokolips technology to make her even more dangerous. And last but not least a new Power Girl. Is she a Kryptonian cousin of Superman? Is she just some random meta gene girl discovered by Lex? We must wait to find out! Along if any one else joins soon. So much is going on I hope I can keep it all straight!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 5**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Einbeck, Germany**

**August 19****th**** 3:27 **

Icicle Jr. cowers behind a barn. "They can't find me. They can't. If they turn me over to Luthor I'm dead." He squints in the darkness for a better place to hide.

He hears the rustle of leaves. There was no wind.

He takes off for a field but is tackled from behind. "_Hallo! _You are under capture."

Cyborg walks up to Ms. Marvel and Icicle Jr. "Under arrest under UN Authority Motion 112-b under Section 8 of the UN Authority Code."

Icicle Jr. panics. "If you send me to Luthor I'm a dead man!"

Cyborg laughs as he pulls out a power restraining collar. "Then you shouldn't have stolen his money."

"You think I'm kidding? He'll kill me!" Icicle Jr. blasts Ms. Marvel with ice and rolls back on to his feet. "Please just let me go. You're killing me if you take me to him!"

Ms. Marvel smashes her frozen hands together knocking the ice off. "We take you to UN. Special prison for those with powers." Ms. Marvel smiles as she gets her English correct. Mostly.

"I'll be a sitting duck!" Icicle Jr. forms more ice in his hands. "I was working for him! I wasn't supposed to spend that much but I was working for him."

Cyborg calculates the best way to take Icicle Jr. down. "Right. Like the Secretary General would let scum like you for him."

"He works in the Light! You have no idea what he really is!" Icicle Jr. throws ice at Ms. Marvel.

Ms. Marvel dodges the ice and leaps at Icicle Jr.

Icicle Jr. gets a hand around her neck and starts freezing it.

Cyborg launches a canister and it hits Icicle Jr. on the feet. A foam spreads out creeping up Icicle Jr.'s legs. "Good job on the distraction Ms. Marvel."

"_Vielen Dank._ No, thank you. Must use my English more. Get better at it."

Cyborg pats her on the shoulder and smiles. "You're doing a great job."

Icicle Jr. tries to freeze the foam but it keeps moving up his body before solidifying. With only his head sticking out he is helpless as Cyborg puts the collar on.

Icicle Jr. starts to cry. "You just killed me man. I'm dead. Just kill me now. Don't let Luthor get his hands on me."

"Quit overreacting. You're going to prison not the death chamber." Cyborg contacts a UN pick up team to get Icicle Jr.

Ms. Marvel sees an older man coming out of his house. "_Keine probleme heir. Wir arbeiten fur die UNO._"

"Ms. Marvel!" The old man smiles and waves to her. "Good to see a real superhero!"

"English! I am speaking it now. Learning to."

"If I recognized you earlier I would have known there was no problem. We all know Ms. Marvel works for the UN!" He starts patting himself down. "Can you wait a minute? My grandson would love an autograph."

"Yes." Ms. Marvel is all smiles and cheer as she waits for the elderly man to come back with a pen and paper.

**News Studio**

**August 22****nd**** 18:30**

G. Gordon Godfrey smiles in to the camera. "Hello viewers. This is a special episode of my show." The camera pans out showing two people sitting on a couch behind him. "I have two true heroes on my show. American Patriot and Power Girl."

The camera zooms on on the two heroes. Both are in street clothes.

American Patriot wears a tight black Tap Out t shirt and blue jeans with black shoes.

Power Girl wears a simple powder blue long sleeved shirt, matching skirt, and simple pumps on her feet.

American Patriot waves to the camera. "Hi mom! I'm on TV again. But for once I'm not beating some one's face in." The audience laughs.

Power Girl barely acknowledges the camera keeping her focus on her feet.

The camera cuts back to Godfrey. "Two members of the UN League. One from America and the other from South Africa. Brock Lashley and Karen Starr have taken the time to come and talk with me and my viewers. Unlike some so called heroes who never seem to have time for me or you the people."

Godfrey walks over to his desk and sits down. "So American Patriot why did you decide to become a hero?"

"Are you kidding? In highschool I won state twice. Became NCAA champ three times in college. In two years with the army I dominated the Military Games. I go to the UFC and what do I do? Go over three years with out a loss until I got hurt in a motorcycle accident and had to retire." American Patriot flexes for the cameras.

"Yes we all know your story but why become a hero?"

He stops flexing and his face turns more somber. "I thought my career of beating people up was over. Then Luthor comes to me and says there is some radical risky surgery that will allow me to not just beat up any punk stupid enough to get in the Octagon with me but real bad guys."

"How risky?"

American Patriot sighs and takes a moment before continuing. "Death. But hey I couldn't walk so what would it matter if I died? I couldn't do what I loved any more. Now I can kick butt and chew bubblegum as much as I, well, the UN wants." He smiles brightly for the camera giving of vibes of confidence. "I got to go out on my own two feet and pick up the newspaper. Lex Luthor is a great man and I can only hope I give back to him and the UN as much as they gave to me."

The audience applauds and American Patriot gets up and goes to the crowd shaking hands and stealing a kiss or two from the cuter audience members.

The camera cuts back to Godfrey. "Yes well we know the loud and proud American but what about the shy and quiet South African?" The camera goes to Power Girl. "The world wants to know more about you. Will you share with us?"

She nods then clears her throat. "Yes, I mean, yes I will."

"A little louder. Our microphones are good but not that good." Godfrey smiles for the camera. "Don't be nervous young lady we just want to learn more about our hero."

"I'm Karen Starr. From a small town in South Africa. My parents worked on an animal refuge until poachers killed them."

The audience lets out a collective moan of sorrow.

Power Girl finally looks up from her feet showing strength and determination on her face and with her posture. "The state was going to send me to a foster home but I ran away. I knew the outdoors. I'd been with my parents on a few trips out on to the refuge."

"Did you have your powers then?"

"No. It wasn't until I found a strange glowing rock that I gained my powers. It was warm and I was cold so I kept it with me in my tent. When I woke up I heard every thing around me. I could see the individual fibers that made up my sleeping bag. The rock had stopped glowing but I noticed a slight glow coming from me." She holds up one of her hands. "It doesn't now but I swear it did then."

"Did you think it was radioactive? That you had sustained radiation poisoning?"

"I didn't really know what that was. My parents taught me from home and they didn't cover that kind of stuff." She lowers her hand. "But I stepped out in to the morning light and felt the Sun on my skin. I knew I was stronger, faster, better. I don't know why I knew I just did. I could crush rocks, pull trees out of the ground, and after I nearly stepped on a scorpion I learned I could fly."

"All of this from a strange rock?"

She nods. "It must have come from space." She smiles at the camera. "I flew to Johannesburg where an aunt of my lived but I didn't know her address."

"An orphan gaining powers. But unlike some heroes you decided to use them the right way. Am I right America?" The audience applauds.

Power Girl takes a couple of deep breaths to keep herself calm. "I heard a shout and flew to it. A woman was being attacked by two men. I, I didn't know I could do it when I did but I shot lasers out of my eyes and hit the knife melting it. It was enough to scare them off."

"Is that when you decided to fight crime?"

"No, no. I didn't even think about it at first. I just wanted to find my aunt."

Godfrey leans forward from his chair. "And did you?"

"No. She, when driving home from the funeral, was in a car accident." Tears form in Power Girl's eyes. "I had no one. If I went to a state shelter they would find me and I didn't want to be put in the system. I was almost eighteen I wasn't a kid."

"So what did you do?"

"I staid in the city. The people of Johannesburg are very kind. If you put a hand out they will put a sandwich in it."

"How did the UN notice you?"

"It was an accident. I wasn't a hero by any definition I just, helped, when I could." She looks down at her hands as she fidgets in her seat. "One of the people I helped was Lex Luthor."

"How did you help him?"

"His car had been hit. Several men got out of the car that hit him. It was just him and his secretary. The men were aggressive."

The audience ooos and lean forward in their seats. "I flew down and made them back off. I picked up their car and held it over my head to told them _Get back in your car the easy way or the hard way._ I set it down and let them get in and drive away."

"I'm sure Mr. Luthor was very impressed."

"Yes he was. He offered me a seat in his car so he could talk with me."

Superman turns the mute on the television. "Super strength, speed, senses, flight, and laser vision. She's a clone."

Black Canary shakes her head. "First of all if she has all the powers then she is full blooded so she can't be a clone of you."

"Then maybe he,"

Black Canary ignores Superman's protest. "If she was full blooded wouldn't she be a ball of rage? Superboy said that Match was nothing but anger and violence. She seems like a sweet girl."

"Maybe Luthor found another Kryptonian and brainwashed her."

"Were there black Kryptonians?"

Superman shrugs his shoulders. "I was a baby when I was sent to Earth. There might have been. I don't know."

Black Canary turns the volume back on.

"And what of the other two members of the UN League? Where are they now?"

American Patriot responds. "Cyborg and Ms. Marvel are kicking butt some where in Europe chasing down some guy who sells stolen goods."

The camera goes to Godfrey as two pictures appear in the screen. One of Cyborg in a football uniform and one of Ms. Marvel in a leotard at the Olympics. "Victor Stone and Alexandra Stern also had tragic stories."

The screen cuts to a picture of Alexandra on a stretcher in a gymnasium. "While training for Brazil she slipped and fell off a balance beam and broke her neck. With surgery she gained some use of her arms and legs but could never compete again."

The screen changes again to a picture of a car wreck. "Victor Stone was hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light. Because of surgery paid for by Lex Corp his life was not only saved but changed in a way few could ever imagine."

The screen goes back to Godfrey. "I would like to thank these two true heroes for coming on my show and I hope I can get the other two some time in the future." The screen goes to commercial.

Superman turns the television off. "I want the Team to investigate Power Girl."

"Seriously? You want to attack the UN League?"

"No Canary just investigate. Start off with her parents and her aunt. See if they ever existed."

Black Canary flips a switch. "Aqualad?"

"Yes?"

"If you have any one to spare could you have some one look in to Power Girl? Check her story."

"What story?"

"She says her parents were killed by poachers and an aunt was killed in a car crash. Start there and if it checks out let me know."

"This sounds like a job for Tim and Barb."

"Just be careful. We don't want the UN League to think we're attacking them. They seem like good kids who don't know who they are working for."

"I'll make sure they know to be extra safe."

**Ra's Al Ghul Home**

**August 22****nd**** 21:00 UTC**

Ra's checks on a pod. "A few more weeks and you will be ready." Behind a small glass window of the pod is an older teen. Slim, dark hair, squared jaw, and growing older even as Ra's walked away.

**Johannesburg**

**August 23****rd**** 7:00**

Batgirl scrolls through a computer while Robin picks the lock on a file cabinet. "Kenneth and Maria Starr were found shot to death near their home."

Robin pulls out two folders. "I found the death certificates." He pulls out another folder. "Is the aunt's name Susan Starr?"

"Uh," Batgirl clicks on a couple things. "Yes. Susan Starr dead, two others hurt, in car accident. Her story checks up."

Robin puts the folders back. "Why were we sent here in the first place?" He growls in frustration as he kicks the drawer shut.

Batgirl laughs. "Miss a date did you?"

"No. Maybe. Yes." He crosses his arms and leans against a wall. "Can we go?"

"Sure." Batgirl closes out of the program she was on and gets up to leave.

**Jump City**

**August 25****th**** 5:11 UTC**

Arsenal and Jason wait outside an apartment building.

An armored SUV pulls up and the door opens. "There he is." Arsenal watches Cyborg walk to the doors of the apartment building. "Ready man?"

"Ready." Both sneak in through a window to Cyborg's apartment.

Cyborg opens the door and turns a light on. "Hello." He sees Arsenal.

Cyborg raises his right arm. "Who are you?"

Arsenal waves his good arm. "Arsenal. You're Cyborg."

Cyborg feels some thing press against the back of his neck. "And I'm Red X."

Red X presses the knife harder against Cyborg. "Lower your weapon Victor we aren't here to fight." Cyborg does. "Thanks."

Cyborg sees an open soda can next to Arsenal. "Why are you here then?"

Red X moves from behind Cyborg and stands next to Arsenal. "To let you know who you work for."

"Lex Luthor."

Arsenal detaches his right arm and sets the laser weapon on the counter. "That is a gift from Luthor."

"So?"

Arsenal moves the stub that was left of his arm. "This is also a gift from him."

Cyborg turns to Red X. "What about you?"

"I was killed by a friend of Luthor."

"Killed? You seem pretty alive now."

"I got better." Red X smiles under his mask. "We just thought you should know the truth about Luthor."

"The man saved my life."

Arsenal gives Cyborg a smirk. "For now. I'm sure he's got you programmed to turn on the people when he wants it."

"No way."

"Really?" Arsenal taps his head. "The clone Luthor made of me was mind controlled. So was Superboy."

"Clone?"

Arsenal picks the laser arm back up and reattaches it. "Why I'm missing my arm."

"Why should I believe you?" Arsenal and Red X shrug their shoulders. "How do I know the Justice League didn't send you?"

Both start to laugh. Red X takes his mask off. "Are you kidding? Do I look like Superman or Batman?"

"There are a lot of members I'm sure there are some they don't let the world know about."

Red X puts the mask back on. "We aren't from the League. We don't work for them either. In fact we're kind of hiding from them."

"So you're bad guys." Cyborg raises his right arm again.

Arsenal holds his hands up. "No. Luthor is the bad guy. Why he and his friends hurt us."

Cyborg keeps his arm raised. "I still don't see why I should trust you."

"You don't have to trust us just don't trust Luthor." Arsenal and Red X move towards a window. "And I wouldn't fire that in here you might damage some of your stuff."

The two leave through the window. Cyborg uses his robotic eye to scan for bombs and finds none. "It doesn't look like they stole any thing either. Who were they? I should ask Luthor the next time I see him."

**Metropolis**

**September 1****st**** 2:37**

Nightwing and Tigress sneak in to a satellite building of Lex Corp. "This place is off the books meaning Lex doesn't want any one to know about it."

"Exactly." Tigress looks for any cameras and sees none. "What ever he does here he doesn't want any of it recorded."

Nightwing and Tigress go through a hallway and find an office door. Nightwing picks the lock in about seven seconds. "I could have done it in five."

"We're in." Both go in to the office and see a name plate on the desk. "Amanda Waller? Who is that?"

Tigress looks around and doesn't see any pictures. "I'm guessing they are photogenic." She goes over to several framed diplomas. "She graduated top of her class in Micro Biology, Genetics, and Political Science."

"Ambitious." Nighting turns on the computer and is greeted with a screen asking for a password. "How cute." He attaches a cable from his wrist to a USB port.

In seconds he is through the security.

Tigress picks through a book shelf. "Nothing good." She pulls a book off the shelf. "Really? She's single."

"How do you know?"

Tigress holds up a book. "Fifty Shades of Grey with a couple dozen tabs." She opens it to one of the tabs. "Wow." She closes the book glad she was wearing a mask to hide her blushing.

Nightwing continues going through the computer when he finds some thing interesting. "GeN Off World Count 3. GeN On World Count 7. Genomorph? Three of them are off world or three types?"

Tigress doesn't hear Nightwing as she continues rummaging through the office. She finds a box and opens it. "Business cards." She goes through and doesn't recognize most of the names. "Bruce Wayne?" She looks the card over. "Hey Nightwing is this one of Bruce's business cards?" She walks over and hands it to him.

Nightwing looks the card over. "Ivory with onyx inset lettering. This is one of his."

"We should ask him if he knows who Amanda Waller is." She takes back the card. "These aren't in alphabetical order. Bruce Wayne is next to Patrick Bateman."

"Just make sure you put them back how she had them. I don't want any one knowing we were here." Nightwing finds another encrypted folder. "More security here than at the CIA."

Tigress sets the box of business cards back. "How would you know that?"

Nightwing laughs and smiles. "How do you think?"

Tigress' eyes go wide. "You didn't! No way did you hack the CIA."

"Batman thought some one there figured out who he was so he had me sneak in and find out if they did or not." Nightwing breaks the security on the folder. "Turns out they didn't in case you wondered."

Tigress sits on the desk and watches Nightwing's fingers fly over the keyboard. "I'll put those fingers to good use when we get back to my place."

Nightwing pauses for a second. "I'm working and you're being very distracting."

Tigress leans over and whispers in to Nightwing's ear. "We could really mess up her office."

Nightwing thinks about it for a second. "No, no. No. I have to figure, whoa." A video pops up on the monitor.

The two lean forward and sees a portal open as a man walks through with a shield. "That shield looks really familiar."

Nightwing saves the video to a flash drive in his suit. "American Patriot carries it."

The two continue watching videos and see the stolen armor. "It isn't the same but it looks like it."

"Did they kidnap the guy?" Tigress sees a man walk through with a suitcase. "I wonder what he is carrying."

"No idea. I bet it can't be good for us."

Nightwing finds another video and opens it. The two watch and see the portal shimmer and then some thing comes out of it. "Slow it down."

"I can't Tigress." Nightwing tries to pause the second the blur appears but he can't make it out still. "I'll take this to the Batcave and have the computer clear this image."

"Right." Tigress gets off the desk and walks over to the door. "I'll make sure no one is coming while you wrap things up."

Nightwing shuts the computer off. "Nothing about Jason. Ra's did have him so maybe Luthor and Cadmus had nothing to do with it. Just because they're both members of the Light doesn't mean they share every thing."

**Unknown Location**

**Unknown**

Six screens turn on.

Queen Bee is the first to start. "Qurac will be mine! Tell Luthor he can't let the UN interfere!"

"I am not in charge of the UN." Luthor's voice is calm and collected as opposed to Queen Bee. "I am just the Secretary General."

"You control them! Tell them they should keep their noses out of my business!"

Again Luthor stays calm. "They are. But if you attack Qurac you will be drawing an UN response. One I can not promise will not end badly for you."

"Bialya will not let the UN stop us from uniting our two countries!"

Luthor finally breaks his calm tone for one sentence. "Do not spew your lies here to us."

Queen Bee curses at Luthor before calming down enough to speak clearly. "Bialya will own Qurac. Keep the UN out of it."

"I can only promise no UN troops will interfere."

Vandal Savage clears his throat. "If that is all Queen Bee then I have information that concerns all of us." He waits a second to give Queen Bee a chance to interrupt but she doesn't. "Darkseid has attacked and destroyed seven planets already. All seven could have been threats to Earth as well as Apokolips."

"So he is doing the dirty work for us."

"Yes Ra's. He had the technology to outfit War World in a way to make it the ultimate killing machine in the Universe."

Klarion hisses like his cat would. "With out using magic you mean."

"Yes. With out magic." Savage waits a breath before continuing. "Ra's, how is Project RBM?"

"With Jason being released it had a minor setback but we are still on course to complete it before Thanksgiving. I have made sure the Genomorphs are teaching the clone every thing it needs to know to take its place in the world."

"Make sure that it is."

"Do not feel you have the power to tell me what to do Vandal. If Luthor could have controlled the boy who attacked me this would not be a problem."

"Who says I wish to control him? We've done enough to him. If I felt it were possible I would invite him to join the UN League." Luthor picks up a glass of wine and holds it to his lips. "Speaking of joining," He takes a sip. "With our offer being refused I once again suggest Deathstroke as an addition to the Light."

Queen Bee almost jumps out of her seat. "Never! That man is not suitable to join us! I refuse to allow it and as a member of the like I have full veto power!"

Luthor sets his wine glass down. "Just because he has never been left comatose like your pawn Psimon is not his fault. Deathstroke is smart enough to not anger the martian girl. He even respects her. She did pull off a fantastic job of duping not just him but Black Manta."

"Psimon has been just as loyal to the Light!"

"When he has not been left comatose." Luthor could barely hide the contempt in his voice. Barely.

"Be careful Luthor or I will come for you!"

"And do what, exactly? Your power only works on those who find you attractive and I find you hideous. Unless you wish to invade America you have no threat to hang over me."

Queen Bee turns her screen off.

The Brain finally speaks. "If she continues to act irrationally she will pose a problem. I suggest we keep a close eye on her."

Luthor nods his head in agreement. "If she attacks Qurac the UN will be forced to stop her."

"I thought you said you would keep UN troops out of it, Luthor."

"I did and I will keep that promise, Savage." Luthor turns his screen off and turns to Deathstroke. "There may be another opening soon."

**Wayne Manor**

**September 4****th**** 13:15 UTC**

Dick and Tim show up at Bruce's Labor Day BBQ. "The sons have returned." He hugs both. "There is plenty of food as always."

"We just have to watch out for all the other kids." Tim looks around and sees dozens of orphans. Bruce had invited all the local orphanages to send their kids to Wayne Manor for a proper Labor Day Party.

Dick messes up Tim's hair. "You're just a kid."

"That's not what Cassie, uh, be quiet you're only a few years older than me!"

Bruce smiles as his sons bicker. "Why didn't you invite her? I would have liked to seen her out of uniform and in some thing more casual. She is dating one of my sons."

"Why not make Dick bring, uh, Artemis? Barb?" Dick punches Tim on the arm. "Ow."

"I'm just friends with Artemis. And Barb. Zatanna, Raquel, uh, I'll shut up." Tim runs off looking to snag some hotdogs.

Bruce puts a hand on Dick's shoulder and leans forward. "You said you had some questions for me. Meet me in the foyer in five."

"Just enough time to grab a burger."

A few minutes later Dick stands in the foyer with a half eaten burger in hand.

Bruce walks in with a plastic cup of soda. "Enjoying the festivities?"

"Of course Bruce." Dick takes another bite of his burger.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about? Any luck with Jason?"

Dick swallows the burger in his mouth. "No. I searched the secret office area you found with Artemis and we found some files and videos that were interesting but nothing on Jason."

"What kind of videos?"

"Videos of some portal and men carrying things out of it. A shield, armor, a suitcase, so forth."

"A round shield that is red, white, and blue?" Dick nods. "You've never dealt with alternate dimensions."

Dick finishes the rest of the burger. "Is that what you think it was? A portal in to another dimension?"

"Could be. Any way of knowing where the portal is located?"

Dick shakes his head. "No windows and nothing on the video indicating where it came from."

"You and Artemis need to find out where that portal is. Lex Luthor may only be stealing things from other dimensions but what if some thing else comes through?"

Dick pulls out a Flash Drive. "I have video I need to have analyzed on the computer, downstairs."

It doesn't take Bruce a second to know what was on the video. "Some thing already came through."

Dick nods.

Bruce sets his cup down. "We should go down there now."

The two walk to another room and go through a secret door.

Tim is hanging upside down from a tree as a girl walks by. He reaches down and taps them on the shoulder before sitting back up in the tree.

The girl looks around and doesn't see anyone. "Jayden not now I'm at a party."

Tim thinks he got away with a quick one when the limb shakes violently and he falls out of the tree. "Ow." He looks up as sees the girl standing over him.

"Are you ok?" She holds a hand out.

Tim reaches for it when he feels a force smack his hand away.

"Jayden stop it!"

Tim is a little confused as he gets up with out help. "Jayden?"

"Never mind." The girl runs away.

Bruce and Dick watch the video in slow motion. "What ever that thing is it is too fast even if you slow it frame by frame."

Dick leans in closer trying to see any thing distinguishable. "It is green and brown. Some sort of animal?"

"An animal fast enough to give the Flash a run for his money." Bruce smirks. "Excuse the pun."

"Maybe they captured it. We don't know where this base is. It could be buried deep in a mountain with only one entrance. It would make it easy to capture any thing that came through."

Bruce nods. "Some thing Luthor would be careful of." Bruce clicks a reds x in the top corner and closes the video. "Don't worry about it for now. Go out and enjoy the party. I'll have the League look for any clues to this base."

**Watchtower**

**September 7****th**** 22:00**

Team Beta meets with Aqualad, Flash, and Atom. "So did you guys find any thing?"

Atom sets down a test tube. "Nothing. This is just grape flavored soda packed with enough nutrients and vitamins to make regular fruits and vegetables obsolete."

Bumblebee picks up the test tube. "So he's making a cheap soda available all over the world for profit. I just can't believe it."

Guardian takes the test tube from Bumblebee. "He is a business man. He needs money to fund his companies. I'm sure secret labs cost a ton of money you keep off the books."

Kid Flash taps his foot impatiently. "I doubt the IRS lets you write stuff like that off on your taxes."

Flash takes the test tube from Guardian. "It is a dead end. You guys should focus on some thing else." Flash and Atom dismiss themselves and leave it to Aqualad.

"Like Jason." Aqualad had been informed by Nightwing the day before.

Nightwing and Tigress found nothing on Jason. They needed help and went to Aqualad.

Team Beta looks at Aqualad strangely. None of them had been on the team when Jason, Robin, was killed.

Kid Flash taps Bumblebee on the arm. "Who is Jason? There is no record of him in the future."

She shrugs her shoulders.

Aqualad turns to Team Beta. "Nightwing and Tigress have been looking in to Jason and Arsenal. None of you were with us when Jason was on the Team. He was Robin."

"Oh." Kid Flash wondered who the Robin was in the Hall.

"The Joker killed him."

Kid Flash had seen plenty of death. Hearing of another death didn't faze him. "So what about Jason? He's dead. Did some one steal his body?"

"No. Ra's Al Ghul has died multiple times. He always comes back." Aqualad sighs. "He brought back Jason. We don't know why but he has." He thinks about Aquagirl and how if he could find the Lazarus Pit maybe... "Arsenal freed him. Now no one knows where the two are."

"So this is a game of hide and seek for a guy who every one thought was dead but isn't and Jason." No one laughs at at Kid Flash's joke.

"Arsenal has had no contact with the runaways. There has been no contact with Batman. We don't know why Arsenal took Jason."

Nightwing walks in with Tigress. "Or if it even was Jason. Roy was tortured in a way none of us could ever imagine. The only source we have that this was Jason is from Ra's."

Kid Flash is a blur as he runs up to Nightwing and gets in his face. "What? The Light says it was Jason? Clone!"

Nightwing glares in to Kid Flash's eyes. "Not a clone. We know Ra's can resurrect from the dead."

Kid Flash jabs Nightwing in the chest with a finger several dozen times. "Just because he does that doesn't mean he did that with Jason. I'm calling brainwashed clone with activation words to betray us and the League."

Nightwing grabs Kid Flash's finger. "If he has been brainwashed then Miss Martian can clear that just like she did with Superboy." He twists Kid Flash's finger a little. "Jab me again and you'll need a cast."

Kid Flash pulls his hand away. "It is just one finger."

"I didn't mean for your finger."

Bumblebee gets between the two. "Whoa, calm down guys." She pushes them apart.

Kid Flash keeps his eyes on Nightwing. "I've dealt with a future laid waste by some one who was all nice and good until he was activated. I don't think we should risk that again."

Nightwing glares right back. "All the more reason to find Jason and find out if it is him."

**Outer Space**

**Unknown**

War World nears another planet. A planet they knew the Green Lantern Corp couldn't protect.

Darkseid activates the various weapons on War World ready to annihilate the planet.

A shield forms over the planet. A large screen appears in front of War World showing The Leader. "We have left your planet! Earth is no longer of the Reach's interest."

Darkseid fires the first volley of lasers and missiles at the shield. The shield holds.

The Leader yells at War World. "If you do not leave now we will destroy you! We are the Reach We are Power!"

Darkseid simply fires another volley of lasers and missiles. The shield breaks and part of the planet is hit. "You are erased from the Universe." He readies another attack.

Several Beetles fly at War World. Black, Orange, Red, Silver, and Purple. They are followed by hundreds of Reach ships.

Darkseid readies to fire again. The Beetles react by launching a barrage of missiles at the War World.

The missiles destroy several of the laser and missile launchers of War World.

War World fires back.

The Reach ships are blasted through but hundreds, thousands, more follow.

Desaad sees the Reach fleet. "Sir we may have bitten off more than even the War World can chew."

"This is but a light snack." Darkseid fires again. "Check on the Key. Make sure no one gets there."

"Yes Master." Desaad leaves quickly.

The five Beetles land on War World and cut through with lasers.

Darkseid's troops inside of War World attack the Beetles. The Beetles cut through them easily.

Black Beetle leads Orange Beetle towards the Key Chamber.

Purple Beetle slices through guard after guard. A cannon forms from his chest and blasts through a wall. "I can breath in space, can you?" Several War World guards are sucked out through the hole.

Red and Silver Beetle use a coordinated laser attack to kill several guards in their way. "Too easy!" Red Beetle shoves a claw through a guard.

Silver Beetle blasts through a door. "Prepare to die!" He flies towards the being sitting in the throne.

"I hope you are." Lasers shoot out of Darkseid's eyes and hit Silver Beetle in the chest.

Silver Beetle falls to the floor in pain. "I am." He unleashes every missile and bomb he has on him at the ceiling.

The ceiling collapses on top of Darkseid. "Was that all?" Darkseid's deep evil laugh is the last thing Silver Beetle hears as he is hit with Darkseid's eyes lasers again.

Red Beetle makes it to the door and sees the fallen Silver Beetle. "Fool." He steps on Silver Beetle's head crushing it as he walks towards Darkseid. "Are you so much a fool as to attack the Reach?" Red Beetle starts powering up.

"I am not attacking I am eradicating." Darkseid fires his lasers at Red Beetle.

Red Beetle jumps to the side. Thinking he had dodged Darkseid's attack he goes to attack Darkseid himself when he is hit in the back by the lasers. "Impossible!" Red Beetle is slow to get up.

"I am death the destroyer of worlds nothing is impossible."

"You are dead." Red Beetle smiles wickedly as a beeping noise can be heard. "The Reach shall survive."

Black and Orange Beetle feel War World shake as Red Beetle detonates his internal nuclear failsafe. "Another Beetle has fallen." Black Beetle rips a guard in half with his hands. "These meatbags will die a thousand times for every Beetle."

In a high pitched voice the slender and shorter Orange Beetle responds. "A million will die!" She shoves a spike attached at her wrist through the skull of a War World guard.

Purple Beetle smashes through wall after wall going for where Red Beetle had been. They make it to the control room and find it is gone. All that remained was Darkseid. "How do you live?"

Darkseid turns to Purple Beetle. "I haven't felt warmth for centuries. It was a nice change. For the seconds it lasted."

"I will make you feel cold with death!" Purple Beetle forms a cannon from its chest and fires at Darkseid.

It hits Darkseid in the chest but does little in the way of damage. "My turn." Darkseid fires lasers from his eyes and hits Purple Beetle.

Purple Beetle screams in pain but doesn't fall. "My turn!" He flies at Darkseid as their right hand forms in to a large blade.

Darkseid reaches out and grabs the arm as Purple Beetle swings it. "Did you think getting close to me would be safer?" Darkseid rips Purple Beetle's arm off.

"Aaaa!" Purple Beetle tries to fly backwards to rethink his strategy but is speared through the chest by his own arm.

Purple Beetle continues to float backwards out of War World and in to outer space.

Around him thousands of Reach ships fire lasers at the damaged War World. Darkseid fires lasers from his eyes destroying the ships two by two.

Orange and Black Beetle reach the Key Chamber. Desaad is waiting for them. "Welcome." Desaad steps aside and reveals a chained Mongul. "Release the chains."

The chains drop and Mogul steps forward. "You again." He cracks his knuckles.

"Again? You must have me confused with another Black Beetle." A second later Black Beetle smiles. "Ah, you have fought another Black Beetle."

"Interesting technology. Do you share it with all Beetles?"

"As much as some would like to think we are unique. We Black Beetles are united as one. What one knows we all know. This way we never lose even if one of us is destroyed." Black Beetle turns to Orange Beetle. "Get the Key. Without that this station is nothing."

Mongul stops. "You do not operate War World?"

"No."

"I want War World back. Help me and I will spare your planet."

Desaad backs away as he realizes he may have made a bigger mess than before.

Black Beetle forms his hands in to blades. "I do not make deals with meatbags."

Orange Beetle steps in front of him. "If he spares the planet then the Reach survives. That is why we serve."

Black Beetle changes his hands back to normal. "Do as you want meatbag I am here for the Key."

Mongul walks to the Key and takes it shutting down War World. "Kill the fool who took my War World."

Orange Beetle turns to leave the Key Chamber. "Gladly."

Desaad flees the room. "Darkseid has fallen. I must go back to Apokolips and take control. To make sure there is no civil war of course."

Darkseid feels War World shut down. "Desaad has failed me." Darkseid turns as he hears laughter.

"You have failed, meatbag."

"Have I? Do you think Darkseid would allow some thing so simple as taking the Key to stop War World?" Darkseid taps a panel on the wall nearest him.

Two lasers fire at the planet scorching the atmosphere. All oxygen on the planet acts as fuel for a fire that burns the planet in seconds.

Orange Beetle powers up. "You are a dead meatbag!"

Black Beetle puts a hand on Orange Beetle's shoulder. "I'm sorry but the Reach is gone." He stabs Orange Beetle through the stomach with a blade.

"Black, Beetle, why?" Orange Beetle goes limp on the blade.

"The Reach is gone. I am free to be my own master." He tosses Orange Beetle in to outer space. "Or choose a partner."

"You wish to join Darkseid?" Darkseid moves towards Black Beetle.

"Yes. You are power. I seek power. The power to exterminate the meatbags."

"Then help me destroy the few left."

"Gladly." Black Beetle flies out of the damaged War World and attacks the few Reach ships that were left.

Mongul walks towards the control room expecting to find whoever had control of War World dead. Instead he is met by Darkseid. "Who are you?"

"I am death." Darkseid hits Mongul in the face with his eye lasers. Mongul's head explodes. His body floats out in to outer space.

Darkseid grabs the Key before it too is sucked in to outer space. "It will take time to repair but the Lantern Corp will not know. They are banned from this sector of the galaxy."

**A/N Whoa! Huge battle between the Reach and War World. Probably had a couple people thinking wait a minute Black Beetle was destroyed at the end of Season 2! So I made up another and said they were all connected. But the Reach Homeworld is destroyed and War World is damaged. What will that mean for Earth? Wait to find out! Of course a lot is going on on Earth. UN League, the hunt for Jason by Team Beta and Nightwing/Tigress. Team Alpha is off world with the Lanterns looking for War World. Team Gamma is investigating the UN League. At least one member of it. Is her story true or a cover? Lots more to find out next episode!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 6**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Qurac**

**October 1****st**** 2:22**

Tanks, helicopters, and foot soldiers from Bialya move across the border in the dead of night. Under darkness of a moonless sky they meet little resistance.

Qurac soldiers send a warning to any one who will listen.

The UN Emergency Alarm goes off in the Embassy. A late night Embassy worker hits a blue button on the phone. "Hello, this is the Qurac Embassy. There are reports from the Bialya border of a military incursion. I ask for any," The phone line goes dead. "Hello?"

"There is no reason to call for help." Psimon puts a hand on the man's shoulder. "There is nothing going on. It was a false report. Tell them now."

The man hears a dial tone again and hits the blue button. "False alarm. There is nothing going on. There is no reason to send help." He puts the phone back down.

"Good, good." Psimon smiles as Queen Bee's plan goes forth with out any problems.

**UN Headquarters**

**October 1****st**** 7:50**

Lex Luthor is in the Secretary General's office going over some reports when he sees one from the previous night. "False alarm from Qurac?" A smile grows over his face. "Queen Bee you have finally given me a chance to put the UN in the spotlight."

**Qurac**

**October 1****st**** 12:00**

A plane flies low and three people jump out of it.

They land in the desert and see tank tread tracks. Cyborg kneels down and puts a hand on a tread. "She has invaded Qurac."

"What should we do?" Ms. Marvel had traveled the world for her gymnastics career but had never been to Qurac or Bialya.

Knightmare pulls his sword from the sheath. "We stop them." A magical aura forms around him and he starts to float.

"Cool!" Ms. Marvel takes off in the direction of the treads.

"Wait!" Cyborg activates rockets and flies after her.

On the other side of the border Power Girl lands near Queen Bee's palace. Several guards see her and shout a warning. She gives them a blank stare. "I have no idea what you're saying."

Queen Bee walks out in to the garden area. "They are warning you that they will shoot if you do not leave."

Power Girl crosses her arms. "They can shoot me all they want."

"Ah, smug, of course you are. Powers make people feel better." She smiles and walks closer to Power Girl. "But I'm sure you are full of love." She raises her hand and brushes some of the hair out of Power Girl's eyes.

"I am."

"Exactly." Queen Bee leans down and whispers in to Power Girl's ear. "Kill Lex Luthor. For me."

Power Girl puts a hand on the back of Queen Bee's neck. "No." She squeezes it hard and Queen Bee falls to her knees.

"How! How are you resisting me?"

"Your powers work on most men and some women, correct? I am not one of those women." The guards raise their weapons and aim them at Power Girl. "Do it."

The guards shoot at her but the bullets bounce off harmlessly. "You are no better than the people who shot my parents." She squeezes Queen Bee's neck harder. "Make them lower their weapons."

Queen Be gives the command and the guards do. "Now then you are going to pull all troops out of Qurac and never attack them again. If you do I will come back and you will not like me coming back." Power Girl lets go of Queen Bee's neck.

Queen Bee stays on her hands and knees. "You are a fool girl! Lex Luthor will be dead by tomorrow! You will be a dead foolish girl!"

Power Girl's eyes glow red as she turns to Queen Bee. "I'm a god!"

Queen Bee hides her face as she smiles. "Just as angry as the other one."

Power Girl takes off to help the others.

Tanks move on a small city in Qurac. The citizens flee in terror as the tanks start firing on the city.

Knightmare lands on top of a tank and cuts through the barrel like it was butter.

Ms. Marvel grabs a rock and stuffs it down the barrel. When the tank goes to fire another shell it is blocked and backfires in to the tank.

Cyborg uses a torch and cuts through the back of a tank. The men inside see him and raise their hands. "Good call." He motions for them to leave the tank and they do.

The other tanks are focused on firing on the city they don't notice the other tanks being taken out of commission one by one.

Lex watches through a low orbiting satellite from Lex Corp. "The world will see its own protecting its own." He is recording every thing.

**Watchtower**

**Octorber 1****st**** 18:00**

The news of the day was of the failed invasion of Qurac by Bialya. The Justice League had no information about it except for what was on the news.

Video from a satellite showed the UN League dismantling a group of tanks before Queen Bee recalled them. "The UN League saved thousands of lives from Bialya's attack. The UN is currently filing sanctions against Bialya and looking to put Queen Bee on trial for war crimes and crimes," Plastic Man turns the mute on.

"Those kids did good didn't they?"

"They sure did." Captain Marvel sips his soda through a straw. "What do you think of Ms. Marvel?"

"She's a good kid. I love the Olympics and she always did well. I replaced all the pictures of Hawk Woman with pictures of her one April Fools day. It took Hawk Man two days before realizing it."

Captain Marvel starts laughing and soda shoots out of his nose. "Classic! I'm so glad I voted for you to join the Justice League."

**Bludhaven**

**October 2****nd**** 00:02**

Dick gets to bed after a long day of searching for Jason.

Bruce gave him and Team Beta a good idea of looking for Jason in places he would go. Yes Arsenal saved him but Jason might not have stuck with him.

Why he was in Bludhaven. Jason had gone with him a couple of times when he needed help. Unfortunately Jason hadn't been at any of the places Dick had looked.

Artemis rolls over and puts an arm across Dick's chest. "We'll look again tomorrow. Start in Jump City and move north to San Francisco. Kid Flash said he'd get an early start."

"Thank the Justice League for the Zeta Tubes." He falls asleep quickly but is disturbed by his dreams.

**Jump City**

**October 2****nd**** 9:30**

Kid Flash is a blur as he searches any place he could. He was on the coast going through warehouses while the rest of Team Beta, Nightwing, and Tigress started in the east.

Kid Flash is in one warehouse when he finds drugs. "Huh. I should probably let some one know about this." He runs to a warehouse office area and finds a phone calling the police before leaving to search another warehouse.

Nightwing and Tigress see through the window a person they had wanted to talk with.

After some debate they decide to not sneak in through the window like some burglar but to meet him at his door.

Cyborg looks through the peephole on his door and sees two people in masks. "If they were attacking me they wouldn't be knocking on the door." He opens the door. "Ah, Nightwing and, uh, I don't know who you are."

Tigress holds a hand out. "I'm Tigress."

Cyborg shakes her hand and invites the two in.

Inside Cyborg offers them drinks but they turn them down. "So why are you here?"

"We wanted to talk. Just talk. Your team was put together by Lex Luthor."

Cyborg nods. "And he's a bad man."

Nightwing and Tigress are both taken aback by Cyborg. "So you know?"

"I had a little visit from two people Luthor and his friends hurt. I didn't believe them at first but I had to know if there was any thing true to what they said."

"Two people? Who? We didn't authorize any one and neither did the Justice League."

"They said they were hiding from the Justice League. Arsenal and Red X."

Nightwing almost hit the ceiling he jumped up from where he had been sitting. "Arsenal? We're looking for him and a friend of ours."

"Is Red X a friend of yours?"

"No. I've never heard of him." Nightwing turns to Tigress.

"Me neither. He might be a Light agent."

Cyborg taps the side of his head. "I could play back the video from that night. Red X took his mask off."

"Could you?"

Cyborg closes his human eye and a few seconds later a holographic screen appears in the living room.

The video plays for a few seconds and then stops when Red X takes his mask off.

Nightwing and Tigress are both stunned. "That's Ja-" Nightwing nudges Tigress in the side.

"That's our friend. He, he hasn't contacted us."

Cyborg turns the video off. "He said he died but got better. I thought he was joking but a Ra's Al Ghul could have brought him back. At least from what I've could find when I hacked some of Luthor's computers."

"Did you find any thing we could use?"

"Maybe. Portals in to other worlds took up a large part of one system. I've seen video from worlds where the Justice League never existed. I've seen worlds where there is a Justice Lords group who kill or lobotomize those who oppose them. I've even seen a world where Lex Luthor is the leader of the Justice League and Ultraman, Superman, is evil and kills."

"We're looking for the lab where they have a portal. That's where they got American Patriot's shield and armor and a few other items the UN League is using."

"I have that video as well."

Tigress leans forward. "Do you have the video where some thing escaped?"

"Escaped?"

Nightwing looks around. "Uh, do you have a computer I could plug a USB in to?"

Cyborg holds up his right arm. "Right here." A USB port appears in his arm.

Nightwing places the flash drive in the USB port and soon Cyborg plays the video in a holographic screen. "I have no idea what that is. It might be dangerous."

"If you can find out where it is and tell us we'll investigate."

Cyborg takes the flash drive out and hands it back to Nightwing. "Ok. The next time I'm able to I'll look for where the lab is. Be careful. I haven't told the other members of the UN League about Luthor and his partners."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know if I can trust them Nightwing. I know what Luthor has done in the past now. I know about activation words. If I tell the wrong person I could end up being shut down."

Tigress stands up and goes over to Cyborg. "If you've hacked Luthor then how come you didn't know who I was?"

"Should I?"

"I worked with the Light for a few months on an undercover mission. They know who I am."

Cyborg shrugs his shoulders. "No idea who you are. The Light, from what I've found, is consisted of by Lex Luthor, Ra's Al Ghul, Black Manta, Vandal Savage, Klarion, and the Brain."

Tigress smirks. "You're missing a couple things."

"Really? What?"

"Queen Bee is a member and Black Manta was kicked out."

Cyborg now is stunned. "But Luthor ordered us to stop her attack on Qurac."

"Part of his cover I'm sure." Nightwing shares a look with Tigress.

"I think we need to get going."

Nightwing starts to walk towards the door when he stops. "Why were you ok with opening the door? You looked through the peephole right?"

"Yes but you don't pose a threat. You're a level one."

"Level one?" Nightwing sounded annoyed.

"You, Guardian, Batgirl, and Robin are level one threats. Lagoon Boy, Bumblebee, Static, and Beast Boy are level two threats. Wonder Girl, Aqualad, and Kid Flash are level three threats. Superboy and Blue Beetle are level four threats. Only Miss Martian is considered a level five threat."

Nightwing crosses his arms and glares in annoyance. "You don't need powers to be dangerous."

Tigress laughs trying to ease the tension in the apartment. "They underestimate us. Good, let them. It will make it all the sweeter when we kick their butts."

The two are escorted by Cyborg out of his apartment.

Cyborg closes his door and relaxes finally. "I can't let Luthor find out they contacted me. I can't let him shut me down."

Nightwing and Tigress contact Team Beta. "We have reason to believe Jason is in Jump City."

Bumblebee and Guardian are near a gas station when they get Nightwing's message. Guardian activates his built in communicator in his helmet. "How do you know?"

"He visited Cyborg with Arsenal." Nightwing is still stunned by the video. "Be careful. It is Jason but we don't know what being killed and being brought back did to him."

"If it even is him and not a clone with an,"

Nightwing cuts Kid Flash off. "It is Jason!"

Team Beta continues to search the city. Unknown to them they were being watched.

Red X and Arsenal spy through binoculars. "Should we meet with them? They are looking for you."

"I don't know. I'm my own man now. No one will call me the Boy Blunder or make a bird joke any more." He sets his set of binoculars down. "But Dick needs to find me."

"So lets go meet him. Far away from our base." The two leap from the roof of the building on to another and follow Nightwing and Tigress.

Nightwing is losing hope as the sun starts to rise. "All that is left is the north end of the city."

Tigress looks down from the roof of the building they are on. "That should take Kid Flash a couple of hours to search. With help."

"Search for what?" Nightwing and Tigress turn around and see Arsenal and Red X sitting on the ledge eating popcorn.

"Roy, Jason, I, Jason!" Nightwing tries to hold back his tears.

"Red X now." Red X throws a kernel of popcorn in the air and catches it in his mouth before pulling the mask back over his head.

Nightwing walks over to Red X and hugs him. "You have no idea what it was like. At your funeral I, Bruce, I'm so glad you're alive."

Red X pushes Nightwing away. "I wasn't there so no I don't know what it is like."

Nightwing takes his mask off so Jason can see the pain in his face better. "Why didn't you come back? Why didn't you come home? Why did we have to look for you?"

"He died. Jason is dead. I'm Red X and my home is where ever I decide it is."

Nightwing clenches his hands in to fists. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for all of us? When I first went back to the Batcave, if it weren't for Alfred, I wouldn't be here right now. Bruce quit for weeks. Even he needed a break."

Red X shrugs his shoulders. "I'm glad my death made him take a vacation. He needed one." Red X pulls his mask back enough to eat some more popcorn. "Guy takes things way too seriously."

Nightwing feels anger, relief, sorrow, and more all at the same time.

Tigress looks over at Arsenal. "Why didn't you bring Jason to the Batcave? Or Mount, well, to the Watchtower? Why have you been hiding him?"

Arsenal laughs and sets his popcorn down. "I didn't hide him. I asked him if he wanted to go back and he said no. I'm not his dad I can't tell him what to do."

Nightwing grabs Jason by the arm. "I'm your older brother and I'm taking you back."

"Really?" Red X taps a button on his right glove and Nightwing is shocked. "Look I'm sorry _my_ death affected you all so much but it was _my _death. After my rebirth I choose how to live my new life."

Nightwing goes to slap Red X but Red X ducks. "Calm down Dick. I'm alive and doing fine. Sure I saw the light but it turned me back. Leave me and my friend alone we'll cover Jump City like you cover Artemis." Red X's smirk was hidden by his mask.

"I, you, you've been to Central City?" Nightwing isn't sure what to feel. He was so relieved to see Jason again but this was not the reaction he expected. "You are coming with us!"

Red X takes a step back. "Arsenal?"

Arsenal holds up a round metal ball. "Shut em off Red." He throws it up in the air.

Nightwing and Tigress look at it by instinct and are blinded by a bright flash.

When their vision returns Nightwing kicks the ledge. "What is he thinking?!" Nightwing screams at the top of his lungs.

After screaming a few more times he kneels down and starts crying. "How could he say that? Do that? We, all of us, even Bruce," He keeps stammering as he continues to cry.

"Dick it's ok." She puts an arm around him. "He, we, don't know what it is like to die. Maybe it,"

Nightwing shrugs Tigress' arm off. "I need to get away from here." He stands up and puts his mask on. "I can't be like this."

"Dick you just had an experience I could never imagine. It would be like Wally coming back only to not know who I am and date, I don't know, Barb."

"It is nothing like that!" Nightwing leaps over the edge of the building.

"Dick!" She looks over and sees him use a claw hook to swing across the street to another building.

She thinks about following him but doesn't. Instead she decides to give him some space. "Beta Team, go home."

"But I haven't searched the north end."

"Don't. Kid Flash, every one, go home."

**Eastern Europe**

**October 7****th**** 4:45**

Ms. Marvel and Power Girl smash through a large barn door.

A man inside holds up his hands in surrender. "I give! I give!"

"About time. You are under arrest." Ms. Marvel is all smiles and energy as she flies in to the barn.

Behind her Power Girl flies in with a power collar and cuffs. "You are under arrest under what ever UN code I'm supposed to tell you before taking you in to custody."

The man sees the collar. "What's that for?"

"It, limits, no, subdues?" Ms. Marvel turns to Power Girl who nods. "It subdues your powers."

The man laughs. "What powers? I'm just quick with my fingers and have a silver tongue."

Power Girl puts the collar on and then the cuffs. "No chances."

Ms. Marvel takes the lead out of the barn followed by Power Girl who carries the man.

**Central City**

**October 11****th**** 22:05 UTC**

Artemis sits alone on the bed. Dick had not come back since meeting with Jason. She hated being alone but didn't want to go after him since he clearly needed some space. "How would I react? What if my sister died and came back? If she rejected me like that..." She smiles weakly. "How would it be any different than it normally is? She wouldn't even let me hole the baby last time." She lays back on the bed and stares at the ceiling trying to shut her mind off so she could get some sleep.

**UN**

**October 21****st**** 14:30 UTC**

Queen Bee is in front of a UN Panel ready to defend her actions against Qurac. She stands in front of a podium while the UN Panel, five men and three women, sit above her in elevated seats.

She smiles seductively at the men and women on the panel. "Hello there." She pushes some hair behind her right ear and acts flirtatious with the camera.

The Panel Leader is a large black man in a black suit. His bald head strangely doesn't shine under the bright lights of the room. "Queen Bee of Bialya. You are here due to your recent invasion of neighboring country Qurac. The UN had to intervene as your troops shelled a village of civilians. You are facing several counts of war crimes against humanity and undeclared acts of war on a peaceful nation."

The lead panel member clears their throat as Queen Bee makes eye contact with him. "If found guilty you may face punishmet from severe sanctions limiting any and all trade to imprisonment."

Queen Bee continues making eye contact with the panel member. "I understand. I'm sure I can clear up this misunderstanding."

Lex Luthor watches from another seat trying to hide his amusement at the preceding.

Queen Bee came willingly. He had hoped she would resist but she was confident in her abilities she saw no need to fight.

"On the night of the invasion a village was attacked by a tank regiment. If not for the actions of the UN League heroes the entire village may have been destroyed with hundreds more killed. How do you explain this?"

"My men got bad coordinates. They thought they were attacking a fake military base as part of a training game. The GPS they were using was off by several hundred miles. I relied on Lex Corp units and it proved disastrous for those in Qurac." Queen Bee turns around and sneers at Luthor.

"And when the UN League attacked? Was this not a sign for them to stop?"

"They thought they were on Bialya soil. If the UN League attacked they would be attacking Bialya troops inside the Bialya borders. Again the Lex Corp GPS units are at fault."

Another member of the panel, an older Asian woman, speaks up. "The screaming was not a sign to stop?"

Queen Bee makes eye contact with the woman and sees the woman flinch. "Inside of a tank? I'm sure they couldn't have heard a fireworks display going off let alone a few screams."

The lead panel member takes control. "As it is even with a GPS malfunction several Qurac civilians were killed."

"I will make sure their families are compensated. Although maybe Lex Corp would like to step up and fix their mistake? If it weren't for,"

The lead panel member cuts her off. "Yes we've heard about faulty GPS units but there are still dead civilians and children who wonder why their parents won't be coming home."

Queen Bee focuses all of her attention and power on the lead panel member. "If you allow it I will build an orphanage in the village that was attacked. As soon as you release me and send me back to Bialya of course."

The lead panel member pulls at his collar. "I'm sorry to say but you will not be leaving here today."

Queen Bee is shocked when cuffs come from out of the floor around her ankles as another set shoot out from the podium she was standing at and restrict her arms. "This is an outrage!" She starts to panic. How was every one on the panel resisting her powers? At least one should have succumbed to them.

Luthor stands up and presses a button.

The UN Panel disappears. "I knew you would try and influence them so I set up a hologram to protect them."

"No! I am the Queen of Bialya! I will not be treated like some commoner!" She screams a few words in her native language at Luthor.

Luthor lets out a chuckle. "You won't. A commoner would not be tried at the Hague for War Crimes. This was merely a preliminary hearing and a trap. I hope you are at peace with yourself as I will see fit as to push for death."

Queen Bee struggles against her restraints. "Why? Why are you doing this to me Luthor? We are members of the Light! We will change the world and the galaxy!"

"We? I, as a member of the Light, am here to inform you that you will no longer be welcomed amongst us. Enjoy your cell."

"No! The others would never turn on me!"

"Really? Would your powers work on The Brain? Klarion? Even those resembling humans like Ra's and Savage find you undesirable."

"I am a member of the Light! I will change the world!"

"What world? The world of Bialya and Qurac? Your focus on Qurac has led you astray. Why they all approved of this move." Luthor can't help but smile. "Making room for a man who is smarter and more in line with what the Light means."

"Deathstroke is nothing compared to me! So he knows a few martial art moves. I can sway entire countries!"

Luthor ignores her as he starts walking towards a door before stopping and turning to Queen Bee. "Just so you know all guards assigned to you will be robotic guards. You will not flirt your way out of this."

"No! I will kill you for this! I will kill you all!" Queen Bee struggles against her restraints but can't break free.

**Batcave**

**October 22****nd**** 23:48 UTC**

Bruce is getting back from a bank robbery when a bullet wound in his arm.

Unfortunately before he could get Alfred to help wrap up the wound he is interrupted. "Hey, got shot again? Thankfully I wasn't shot." Red X is sitting on the console of the computer.

"Jason? Why are you here?" Bruce winces as his arm throbs with every step.

Red X pulls his mask back. "Isn't this what you wanted? Me to come back home?"

"It is but Artemis said you were making a new name for yourself. Red X I believe. I want what is best for you. If you need time to become some one else, more, I will let you have it."

"Let me? There will be no letting any more." Jason leaps from the console and lands in front of Bruce. "I will be eighteen soon."

Bruce reaches for Jason but Jason takes a step back. "You will still be my son."

"A son?" Jason throws his hands up theatrically. "What father lets his son die? What father trains his child to go out and face psychopaths? Not only that but teaches him not to fight dirty or use lethal force when the other side is _clearly _willing to use it."

"Killing is never the answer! The Joker is insane. He doesn't even believe he lives in a real world half the time I speak with him. Would you kill a man who didn't know what life was? What death was?"

"Joker knows!" Jason almost punches Bruce. "He told me he was going to kill me and he did! If he didn't know what death was how could he promise me death?!" Jason pulls his mask back over his face. "I'm alive and well. Doing better than I ever had with you. Arsenal and I? We beat up drug dealers. We put psycho rapists in their place. The West City rapist? He doesn't have the equipment any more. What would you do? Pat him on the shoulder and put him prison."

"Where he would rot away for life."

Red X gets in Batman's face. "Maybe. Bad evidence, corrupt judge, one stupid juror. Or he could just break out like every prisoner we've ever put away."

Batman leans in to Red X trying to tower over him. "I will not tolerate murderers in my home."

"Just tolerate them in your city so they can kill more sons. How long until Tim gets beaten half to death with a crowbar? How long until Barb gets shot? You got lucky only taking it in the arm. What if she gets shot in the back? Tim gets shot in the head? You get shot in the head? What happens then?"

Bruce lowers his head and with a low, grim, voice replies. "Dick is ready to take my cowl."

"Will he take Tim's mask? Barb's cape? You train them as much as you trained me and what happened? I died!" Red X punches Bruce in the chest. "Will you take another break then? A few weeks? Longer than you took for mine? Less time?"

Bruce turns when he hears a door open. Alfred was coming down with a tray of tea.

Alfred sees Bruce with a smaller person wearing an outfit he had never seen before. "Should I grab another cup Master Bruce?"

"No."

Red X walks away from Batman towards Alfred. "Long time no see. Did you turn my room in to a reading parlor like you always threatened me with?"

Alfred almost drops the tray. "It can't be."

Red X pulls the mask back. "It can." Jason smiles brightly. "You're actually one of the few people I missed." Jason hugs him.

Alfred is frozen in place. It was like seeing a ghost. "Young Jason, this new outfit suits you."

Thanks. We found it, some where, when we were rummaging through some warehouse Luthor owns. Had all kinds of weird stuff."

This caught Bruce's attention. "Where?"

Red X shrugs his shoulders. "I forget."

"This is not a joke! Lex Luthor has opened portals to other worlds and has been bringing things in to this world. That suit might be one of them!"

"What ever." Jason yawns and then pulls his mask back over his face. "See ya." He throws an orb in the air.

A bright blinding light fills the room. Alfred is blinded by it.

Red X is almost up the stairs when he is tackled by Batman. "Did you really think that would work on me?"

"Of course not. That was just a distraction." Red X punches Batman in the stomach. Batman's suit takes most of the force. What it couldn't take was the massive volts being shot out through a device attached to his wrist. "Too predictable old man."

Batman tries to recover but his muscles refuse to do as he wants and Red X escapes.

**Outer Space**

**October 23****rd**

Team Alpha is in contact with Hal Jordan. "If you go past this area," He points at a map. "You will be entering Reach territory. The Green Lantern Corp is banned from there. If you go you will have no one to help you."

"If Vandal Savage is destroying planets that could be a threat to Earth the Reach is a logical conclusion. Even better you can't go there to stop him."

Superboy pounds on the table where the map was. "It is too risky M'gann. I say we stay in range of the Lantern protection. We're one ship we can't take on War World."

"All I need to do is read his mind. Once I can read his mind and then the documents the others found we can go home."

Hal Jordan rolls up the map. "Be careful and let us know if you find War World. We will do what we can to corner it if at all possible and destroy it once it comes in to Lantern territory."

The Bioship allows Hal to leave. Garfield finally speaks. "He was the first human Green Lantern ever! He was on our ship!"

Superboy rolls his eyes. "You've seen him before."

"From a distance never this close."

M'gann laughs. "You only like him because he's green."

She pilots the ship towards the Reach planet.

War World is still being rebuilt over the destroyed planet. Black Beetle keeps watch over rebuilding when he notices the ship. "Darkseid. Some one is here."

Darkseid sees the ship. "One ship? It is not of Reach origin. It is of no threat. Even as damaged as it was War World is still the most powerful weapon in the galaxy."

"Then I shall take care of it." Black Beetle starts flying towards the ship.

M'gann and the others are stunned. There was what looked like a planet that had been set ablaze near War World. "Is that the Reach planet? What did Savage do?"

"Focus M'gann!" Superboy was getting a bad feeling about this. "Read his mind and get us out of here before they notice us."

Garfield leans forward in his seat. "Dude the thing looks like the Death Star in Return of the Jedi."

Now that he pointed it out the others notice as well. "The Reach must have given one heck of a fight. M'gann get only as close as you need to. Garfield turn in to some thing with better vision."

"Got it." Garfield, Beast Boy, turns in to a hawk.

Superboy hoped with his enhanced vision and the vision of the hawk they would spot any threat that came.

Black Beetle was all but invisible against the backround of blackness with stars twinkling millions of miles away.

M'gann flies closer and searches for the mind of Vandal Savage. She focuses and finds a mind. Unfortunately it was not human. It was unlike any thing she or her fellow Martians had ever encountered.

Superboy was looking for any threats outside the ship when M'gann's screams made him jump. "M'gann?" He turns around and sees her fall to the floor screaming. "M'gann!" He runs over to her and cradles her head as she thrashes about.

Beast Boy changes back and screams. "We got a problem!" Some thing slams in to the Bioship.

"Hello, meatbags." Black Beetle smiles as his right hand forms in to a cannon. "Time to open you up!" He aims at the front of the Bioship.

Garfield runs to the seat and connects with the Bioship. "Come on girl move!" The Bioship moves up just in time and is hit on the bottom instead of the window.

"Get us out of here Garfield!" Superboy tries to keep M'gann from hurting herself as she thrashes about even more.

"Trying!" Garfield turns the Bioship away from the attack and flies as fast as he can away from the Reach planet.

"Run little meatbags. Make this more interesting." He flies after them and fires shot after shot.

Garfield screams when the Bioship is hit. "It isn't that bad Garfield we're still flying."

Garfield feels his head throb. "I'm connected with the ship when she gets hit I get hit." He feels his head throb again when another blast strikes the Bioship.

M'gann suddenly goes silent and still. "M'gann? M'gann please wake up!" Superboy hugs her closely and starts to cry. "Please come back."

Garfield feels some thing tingle in his brain. "Weapon, weapons! The Bioship has weapons." He activates two cannons which form on the back of the Bioship and fires at Black Beelte blinding him.

Garfield takes the break in being shot at to move as much power as he could to the engines and fly away as fast as he could.

**A/N When Bruce and Jason were talking in the Batcave when he had the mask on he was Red X and when off Jason. Just a little detail I threw in. Also we have Luthor eliminating another member of the Light. Will he finally get Deathstroke as a member? And who was the other that was asked to replace Black Manta? What is wrong with Jason? Is it really just him being free from the Bat family or trauma from, you know, being killed? We must wait to find out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 7**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Lex Corp Labs**

**Unknown**

Several men come through the portal with boxes filled with pills. Lex Luthor opens one of the boxes and examines a pill. "With some thing so small I can make any man great." He pops it in his mouth and swallows. "Or a great man greater."

**UN Head Quarters**

**October 26****th**** 12:00**

Lex Luthor stands at a podium as cameras roll. Around him are the various ambassadors and representatives of the world. "Hello. Many of you know me but for those of you who don't I am UN Secretary General Lex Luthor." He smiles at the cameras giving off as much charm as possible.

He looks in to the crowd of delegates and flirts using just eye contact with a few of the women. "I am also the President of Lex Corp. A company looking to push not just America but all Humans forward. Using Reach technology I've already created a soda that is cheap to make but packed with all the vitamins and nutrients of the daily value prescribed by those who know best. I have donated billions of bottles to third world nations to pass out the villages of those who are starving on a daily basis."

The lights above him shine brighter as a screen drops behind him. "I introduced the UN League as well. A team of heroes from around the world to defend the world. They recently stopped the war criminal from Bialya on orders from the UN. They are not some rogue organization claiming to defend Earth but only making it worse." A picture of the five heroes appear on the screen.

"Now though I am focusing to make Earth even better. The Reach's ships were powered by a source of energy highly compact and powerful enough to last for years with out refueling. I have gotten a hold of this technology and have adapted it for our own use."

The screen changes to show a strange contraption. "I have been able to create a cheap nearly infinite source of energy that will power the world. One of these devices could power the world for several days. Of course we will need more than one so I have been working with the many nations of this planet to create more. I hope to soon have at least one in every nation. Those in the UN and even those who are not."

The crowd cheers and applauds. Luthor soaks in the praise and love from all of them. "Of course some may worry about this technology. What powers it? Is it radioactive? Could it be turned in to a weapon? Some may not answer those questions but I will. First it is powered by a stone the Reach found on several planets and moons. I had it studied and have found it is not radioactive. It is almost like another off world material called Kryptonite. As such I have deemed it to be called Crystal Kryptonite. This should answer the last question. It can not be made in to a weapon."

Clark Kent almost breaks his coffee table before he controls himself. "Not a weapon? If it is Kryptonite it is a weapon." He takes his glasses off and goes to his bedroom to change.

Lex continues talking about the device and finally ends his speech with an invitation. "I would love to invite the Justice League to come to the opening ceremony of the one I will activate right here in New York City. Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, any of you are welcome. Unlike you I share the technology I find. I don't hoard it. Like your zeta tubes that could allow us to save millions by sending food or clothing directly to areas that need it most in seconds instead of needing ships or planes." He leans forward a little and gives a smile so devilish even Satan would praise it. "So please come and show your support of the UN and the world."

Cyborg feels chills as he turns the television off. "He is a dangerous man. He saved my life and allowed Alexandra and Brock to walk again but he is still dangerous. This is a trap."

Batman meets with Superman and Wonder Woman on the Watchtower. "This is clearly a trap. He invites you specifically Clark and Diana."

"And me!" Captain Marvel comes from the zeta tube area.

"Yes, and you." That is what confused Batman the most. Superman and Wonder Woman were founding members of the League. Captain Marvel was... Captain Marvel.

Superman clenches his fists trying to stay calm. "He is setting a trap like you said but what? Using Kryptonite to power these devices could give off an energy field that affects myself or Superboy."

Wonder Woman had watched the video of the UN speech numerous times. She saw how Luthor looked in to the cameras as he spoke. If she hadn't know what kind of vile snake he was she might have even fallen for it. "We need to get a piece of this Crystal Kryptonite and test it. The team would be best for this."

Batman nods in agreement. "I'll contact Aqualad."

Captain Marvel raises his hand like he does when in school. Batman turns to him. "Yes?"

"You said uh, Superboy. Where is he? Shouldn't he and the rest of Team Alpha have come back like a few days ago?"

"Yes." Superman had started to get concerned but knew there was little he could do. "We know from Hal that Team Alpha went in to Reach territory. The Lantern Corp can not go there. If any thing has happened to them there is no way we can help them."

"I'm not Lantern Corp. I'll go."

Batman shakes his head. "The League is a known ally of the Corp. They may consider us appearing in their territory as a violation of numerous treaties."

Captain Marvel almost sounds like he is pleading when he talks next. "But they might need our help! They're our friends and we help friends."

Wonder Woman puts a hand on Captain Marvel's shoulder. "We do help friends but we can't here. They were told by Hal that they would have no help if they left Lantern Corp Territory."

Captain Marvel sighs and slumps in defeat. "I guess. I just hope they're ok."

**Boston**

**October 28****th**** 16:30**

Killer Frost and the Riddler are on the run from American Patriot and Cyborg. "Why are you kidnapping me? I've been on the run all this time why now?"

Killer Frost turns to him and motions him to keep low. "With out you my brother stays locked up. You got out of a prison not even Superman could."

"Yes with brain not brawn or powers." He ducks behind a car. "How did you find me?"

Killer Frost looks around for a better place to hide. "My father has connections."

"Why should I help you?" Riddler sweats as he knows he will be caught. He had been in hiding for a long time. He almost saw being caught as a chance to relax. Almost.

"You'll be paid and my father will owe you a favor." She sees a manhole cover and points to it. "I'll distract them while you get that open."

"If you say so." He runs over to the manhole cover and starts trying to pry it off.

Killer Frost comes out from the car as Cyborg and American Patriot fly around the corner. "Two members of the UN League to catch little ol' me? I feel flattered."

American Patriot aims an arm at Killer Frost. "Are you ready to join your brother?"

"Heck no." She fires a ball of ice at American Patriot.

He blasts the ice ball with a laser from a wrist unit.

Cyborg sees Riddler working on the manhole cover. "Keep her busy." He runs across the street and uses the cars for cover.

American Patriot holds up the shield with his right arm blocking Killer Frost's next attack as he flies at her. He slams in to her hard knocking her in to the car behind her. "I hate to hit a girl but you have powers so makes us equal."

"I'm equal with out powers." American Patriot doesn't notice the ice creeping across the road to his feet. "With my powers I am better." Ice shoots up around his feet trapping him.

Riddler gets the manhole cover up just as Cyborg reaches him. "Stop!"

Riddler drops it. "I don't know who she is or what she wants! She kidnapped me!" He holds his hands up.

Cyborg holds up a power collar and cuffs. "Right. Surrender Nigma."

"I, I do. As long as you send me to the one her brother is at." He drops to his knees. "I surrender just send me to that new fancy UN prison."

Cyborg walks over and Riddler gives zero resistance. "Why? You don't have powers."

"Exactly! I go to a regular prison I'm a fool in a minimum security prison. I've heard about the UN prison. If I go there I can, shower, safely."

Cyborg puts the cuffs and collar on Riddler

Amercian Patriot fires a shock pellet at Killer Frost. She blocks it with some ice and turns to run. She sees Riddler has cuffs on and turns down an alley.

American Patriot smashes the ice on his feet with the shield. "She got away."

"We could go after her." Cyborg sets Riddler down on the ground.

American Patriot puts the shield on a harness on his back for easier carrying. "With a prisoner?"

Cyborg walks over to American Patriot. "Really? Well, no one needs to know about that." He shakes Riddler. "We got one of them."

"Good enough for me." American Patriot kicks off a little ice still stuck to his armor.

**Outer Space**

**Unknown**

The Bioship flies through space, lost. Garfield could pilot the ship as well as Superboy but when he fled from Black Beetle he got turned around and now neither one could figure out where they were.

M'gann was still comatose from what ever had happened when they got too close to War World. Neither one knew about Darkseid and thought some how Vandal Savage had done it.

The two were not just worried about being lost but also they were getting low on food and water. They tried to ration their supplies but that could only last them so long.

Superman looks out the window hoping his super vision would spot another ship or a planet that might have life, water, any thing that could help.

**Germany**

**October 29****th**

Ms. Marvel is at home with her parents for a quiet day or two off. She had been all over the world recently and just needed a couple days off.

But being a world famous super hero drew attention. She was used to some attention being a former Olympic Gold Medalist but not like this.

She goes to the door and opens it. "_Bitte! Lasst uns in ruhe!"_ The people take pictures of her and crowd around trying to get closer. "No, English. Please, leave us alone. I beg you. We are trying to have supper."

"Eat this!" Ms. Marvel sees the flash of metal. It was a gun!

She sees some one near her had a copy of her autobiography. She grabs it and holds it up just as the man fires at her.

The book is thick enough to slow the bullet down but doesn't stop it completely. It grazes through her hair and hits the door frame behind her.

People scream and panic knocking the man over.

Ms. Marvel leaps from her front porch and lands on top of the man. "Not my family!" She starts punching him getting blood on her fists before some one can pull her off of the man.

"Stop it! He's down." She turns and sees it was a UN Guard.

"Where were you? You are, the, I can't think of the word, _meine zu schutzen." _She keeps trying to think of the word.

"Protect? And we were until you asked us to stay away so you could enjoy time with your family." The guard is not smug or condescending as he speaks with Ms. Marvel. He puts a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her. "Being a hero is dangerous. There are people out there who would want to hurt you and your family. Why Luthor has us assigned to you and the others. But we people too who respect that you'd want alone time with your family."

She closes her eyes and takes a few breaths trying to calm down. Her heart was still beating rapidly and her muscles twitched. "I'm sorry I yelled. Take that man away please."

"We will." The guard she was talking with motions to another who picks up the badly beaten man and carries him towards a guard car. "Enjoy the rest of your evening. We'll make sure the others leave you alone."

"Thank you." Ms. Marvel goes back to her house as the UN Guards disperse the crowd.

**Lex Corp Lab**

**Unknown**

A young Asian woman is strapped to a chair. There are several scientists standing around her. "Ma'am you understand the risks correct?"

"I do." She had recently been given Super Soldier Serum but what would be done next could change her even more. Or kill her. "I took that magic pill of yours."

"It was a Kryptonite Nanotech capsule. The others have recently taken them to enhance their durability and strength."

Another scientist leans over to her. "This is your last chance to back out."

She looks him in the eye. "Do it."

**Philadelphia**

**October 31****st**

Captain Marvel stands at a door handing out candy to the local kids. "Thank you!" Two little kids runs off.

He closes the door and looks at the dwindling pile of candy. "At this rate I won't get any."

A woman in her forties laughs and digs through a bag of candy. "You sound like my son. I told him fourteen was too old to trick or treat so had to hand out candy while I volunteered here." She pushes back her long brunette hair as it gets in her eyes.

Captain Marvel pulls at his collar. "Fourteen?"He would soon turn sixteen. "Uh, yeah, that is too old."

The woman pulls out a large chocolate bar. "But you're never too old to enjoy candy." She opens the bar and breaks it in half. "Want the other half?"

"Of course!" Captain Marvel takes the other half and takes a large bite out of it. "Thank you Ma'am."

The woman laughs again. "Ma'am? I can't be much older than you."

Captain Marvel tries to smile and play it off. "I've always been told to call a woman Ma'am as a sign of respect. From little girl to elderly woman they should always be respected." The door bell rings and he opens the door.

"Trick or Treat!"

He sees a mixture of Justice League and UN League characters. The ones he likes the most are the Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel couple in the back of the group. "Well looks like some one might want an autograph!"

He moves from the door to grab a picture he had already signed while the woman hands out the candy.

When he gets back to the door the child dressed as him smiles brightly as Captain Marvel hands him the picture.

The little girls dressed as Ms. Marvel shyly asks him a question. "Can we get Ms. Marvel's autograph?"

"I'm sorry but she lives in Germany. I don't even think they have Halloween there."

"You two don't live together?"

Captain Marvel leans down so he can look the two kids face to face. "No. We're just friends. But I'll ask if I can get her autograph and give it to you the next time I see her ok?"

"Thanks!" The boy and girl hug him and he hugs them back. "You're the best!"

As they leave with the rest of their friends the woman closes the door. "You know Ms. Marvel?"

"No. Never met her. I'd like too though." Captain Marvel can't hide the look on his face.

The woman laughs and smacks him on the chest playfully. "You're far too old for her."

The two continue handing out candy to the children. Talking and eating candy themselves when there were no kids.

**G. Gordon Godfrey's Studio**

**November 2****nd**

Lex Luthor sits down on the couch and smiles for the camera. G. Gordon Godfrey stands in front of his desk. "Hello viewers! I'm here with UN Secretary General Lex Luthor. The man who will provide light for the world!"

The audience claps. The camera turns to Luthor. "Yes, yes I will. On November 9th I plan to turn all of Metropolis over to the Light Generator."

"The Light Generator? Why that name?"

"This power source is very light in the way of a carbon footprint. The stone itself is also light compared with other sources. The energy produced by a crystal Kryptonite the size of my knuckle is equal to several metric tons of coal or thousands of barrels of oil. The Light Generator will also of course provide light to every country."

The camera zooms in on Godfrey's face as a picture of huts some where in Africa appear in the upper right hand corner. "Even those with out need for it?"

The camera cuts back to Lex Luthor. "Need? Like the need for refrigeration? The need to run xray machines and other medical equipment? Don't all humans deserve the basics of life? I'm not saying we'll be dropping flat screen televisions on African villages but there will be water purifiers and refrigeration units to help keep our fellow man and woman healthy and strong."

The camera cuts away to commercial.

G. Gordon Godfrey leans over to Lex. "Don't you have another major announcement to make on my show?"

Lex taps his fingers like Burns on the Simpsons. "I do. That will come at the end."

Godfrey narrows his eyes at Luthor. "We believe it would be better to be now. Give us time to talk about her."

"She does not seek publicity." Lex leans back on the couch. "And I do not care what you or the others believe."

"Very well." Godfrey sees a light blink. "We're back in ten."

The camera rolls and Godfrey is all smiles for it. "Welcome back viewers! I was talking with our guest during the commercial and he has another major announcement to make!"

Luthor lets a split second of annoyance appear on his face before going back to the charming smile. "Yes. The UN League will have a new member joining it. A young woman from Japan, Yumi Ishiyama, has come to us and asked to become a hero for the world."

"What name will she go by?"

"The name she chose was the Yellow Mamba. I'm sure she chose it as a reflection of her love of the NBA and the Black Mamba Kobe Bryant."

The screen behind the two changes as the newest member of the UN League appears on it.

A woman wearing a yellow speed suit similar to the Flash smiles her sparkling white teeth at the photographer. She was about five foot four, one hundred and twenty pounds. The suit reveals little of her build. The only mark on it was a pair of black fangs on her chest in a, appealing, manner.

"Yumi was a young girl who was training in various martial arts. She had dreams of competing in the world martial arts tournament." Luthor clears his throat as the screen changes to a newspaper headline. _Young Woman Stabbed Stopping Robbery._ "She was stabbed multiple times stopping two robbers. She saved the life of the young man behind the counter and countless others. The two robbers turned out to be serial killers who had struck multiple stores killing the cashier and any witnesses. She missed the tournament while in the hospital."

The picture cuts back to Yumi in her uniform. "She already has experience saving lives and after allowing me to give her a surgery that not only erased the damage from the night she stopped the serial killers but also made her faster, stronger, better."

Kid Flash and Blue Beetle are on the Watchtower watching the show.

_It would be simple to kill Luthor. He has no powers._ "No." _I could do it. Claim I took you over again._ "No. We won't kill him."

Kid Flash ignores Blue Beetle figuring he was talking with the Beetle. "I wonder what her powers are. Or her number."

"You have no idea what she looks like, _ese._"

"I'd love to find out." Kid Flash and Blue Beetle continue watching.

That night in Tokyo three men find themselves bound and gagged in a warehouse. Around them was the illegal counterfeit medical equipment they had been selling on the market as real.

Yellow Mamba paces in front of them. "Do you know how many people died because they got faulty equipment?"

The man in the middle gives the her a muffled response. She takes the gag out. "It was just business!"

She smacks the man. "Lives are not business!" She disappears in a blur and comes back with a can of gasoline. "So who will I set on fire first?"

"The Justice League doesn't kill."

She laughs darkly. "Who said I was Justice League?" She pours some gasoline on the man on the right who was still gagged. "I actually got diplomatic immunity through the UN League. Even if I was caught I'd get away with it." She starts rubbing her fingers together at a blinding speed.

"Don't do it!" The man in the middle struggles against his restraints.

The girl moves a finger toward the man she poured gasoline on. When it gets close enough a spark of static electricity shoots out from her finger. The gasoline fumes ignite.

"You're insane!"

She laughs again. "Probably. Thankfully they didn't give me a psychological exam after they gave me my powers." She ignores the screaming, burning, man as she pours gasoline on the gagged man on the left.

"Don't pour that on me!" The ungagged man in the middle feels the heat on his right.

"I don't need too. You're the meat in this little fire sandwich." The fumes from the second man ignite and he starts screaming.

Yellow Mamba walks to the door and opens it. A gentle breeze of cool air blows in. "See ya later." She looks up as the moon rises high in the air. "On the news." She is a blur as she runs from the warehouse leaving three screaming men behind.

**Ra's Al Ghul Headquarters**

**November 5****th**** 12:04 UTC**

Ra's Al Ghul stands in front of a pod. A dark haired man is slumped forward in it. "Soon."

"How soon?" Ra's turns around as Vandal Savage walks in to the room.

"As soon as the other one is eliminated." Ra's looks at the ring on Savage's finger. "Is Klarion with us as well?"

"He is, busy, at the moment." Savage walks over to the pod. "It looks just like him." He looks up to see several genomorphs. The same kind that taught Superboy. "Are you sure this clone will work?"

Ra's stands defensively not liking Savage's tone. "He will be a perfect copy of the man he replaces."

Savage taps on the pod. "Just the man?"

"Yes. Just the man."

"The Light has invested too much time and work in to this project for any mistakes. Allowing the Prospect to be taken was a mistake. Your mistake."

Ra's turns away from Savage. "He was an innocent."

Savage smirks. "Your sense of morals makes you weak."

Ra's turns back to Savage. "Your lack of insight in to the human soul makes you weak. You miss what is there by denying what exists."

The two meet eye to eye. "I have been alive for tens of thousands of years. I have killed so many that if a soul did exist I'm sure by now mine would have shriveled and died."

"We are all children to Klarion and yet even he has a soul. A chaotic one but still a soul." Ra's turns back to the clone. "For him to have a souls we must kill the original."

"You really think that would work?"

Ra's nods. "I have died several times over the years. I have seen the white light. I have heard the trumpets. I know what lies beyond. I know that the soul wants to stay here and will look for any chance to cling to the physical world. Why the Lazarus Pit can resurrect not just the body but also the soul."

He walks away from the pod ignoring Savage. He must prepare for the day he finished the Light's greatest project.

**Wayne Manor**

**November 7****th**** 5:00 UTC**

Batman is just getting back from a night of fighting crime when he sees a man standing near the entrance of Wayne Manor. The man had a brown envelope in his hand and was taping it to the front door. "Could be innocent." Batman creeps up behind the man.

The man is walking away when he stops. "I was sent by the Master to deliver you a letter. I mean you no harm."

Batman comes out from the shadows. "Tell Ra's if he wants a meeting he does not need to leave me letters."

The man simply steps back. "As the Master wants I do."

"Then leave before you go back to Ra's in a cast."

"Very well." The man walks away as Batman keeps an eye on him for several minutes.

**Watchtower**

**November 9****th**** 07:30**

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and Martian Manhunter meet before the reveal of the Light Generator.

They sit around the large table they used when voting on new members. Batman starts the meeting. "Superman and Wonder Woman will go and that's final."

"But I was invited!" Captain Marvel pounds on the table. "I know I'm not a founding member of the League but I can still represent it as well as those who did. Wasn't I the only one handing out candy on Halloween?"

Martian Manhunter responds. "I did as well. Just not as myself."

"Exactly! The UN League is kicking our butts because they go on T.V. And meet the press and talk at schools. If we just stay back and let Luthor or Godfrey control our image we'll always look like the bad guy."

Batman shakes his head. "You're a member but you're not trained to deal with the media. Superman has spent years in the media as has Wonder Woman."

"But I can do it!" It takes all of Captain Marvel's strength to restrain himself. "The kids love me."

"Because you're the same age." Wonder Woman laughs showing she was joking. "I think it is a good idea. He's right he is good with the kids. His is the number four best selling toy from Wayne Corp."

Captain Marvel smiles brightly. "Behind only Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman!"

Batman turns to a control panel. "Fine. Superman and Captain Marvel go. Do not think of this as a party this is a trap most likely."

**Metropolis**

**November 9****th**** 13:00 UTC**

Superman and Captain Marvel at on a stage with Lex Luthor in front of the new Light Generator. A blanket and banner block the view of the people gathered for the unveiling.

Lex Luthor stands at the podium and waves to the crowd. "Hello Metropolis!" They cheer and clap. "I am about to make Metropolis a green city. A Light City."

Superman keeps his composure. He and the Justice League knew the Light was behind all of this. Why they were doing this was unclear. He suspected the Crystal Kryptonite would be a weapon of some kind but wasn't sure how it would be used.

"All of you will see your electricity bills plummet. Yes you will still need to pay some for the cost of maintenance and paying the men and women to repair fallen power lines but you will see a fifty percent cut in your bills the minute I activate the Light Generator." More cheers and applause.

Luthor turns around and motions to a man behind the curtain.

The curtain drops and the Light Generator is revealed. "I have produced six of these so far. Metropolis gets the first one as this is my home city. Gotham, New York, L.A., Miami, and Dallas will be the other five to get a Light Generator before any one else. Of course this will not last long. While it takes time to make I will see to it that every nation has a Light Generator."

Luthor presses a button and the Light Generator gives off a low deep hum.

The lights of the city flicker. Televisions and appliances turn off and then back on.

Luthor smiles and waves to the crowd. "I present to you the city of the future. The city powered by the Light."

"No!" Superman flies at the Light Generator and attacks it.

Luthor stands and watches as the city's lights turn off. He keeps his back turned to the cameras to hide the smile creeping across his face.

Captain Marvel attacks Superman from behind. "Stop it!" Superman knocks him back and attacks the Light Generator. "Superman stop!" Captain Marvel forms his hands above his head. "Stop!" He throws a lightning ball at Superman hitting him in the back.

Several men grab Luthor pulling him away from the fight.

People scream in panic as they run away from the two battling League members.

Superman smashes the Light Generator even more ignoring Captain Marvel's attacks.

Cameras record the attack in full. Godfrey is in a news van holding back his laughter as he watches the recording that would send his ratings even higher.

Captain Marvel slams in to Superman knocking him to the ground. "Stop!" Captain Marvel sparks with energy as he stands over Superman.

Superman opens his eyes and fires lasers at Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel is caught off guard and takes the hit full force in the chest. "I need backup!" He feels his chest radiate with pain as Superman gets back to his feet.

Superman hears the screaming and it finally knocks him out of what ever rage he had gone in to. He looks around and sees the damage he had wrought. "I, I'm sorry." He takes off in to the air.

Captain Marvel is about to chase after him when some one yells at him to stop.

Luthor walks over to him. "Thank you for stopping him." He holds out his hand.

"Uh, yeah." Captain Marvel shakes it. "I'm sorry about your power thingy."

"What is a few hundred million dollars in the long run? I'll just write it off on my taxes." Luthor pats Captain Marvel on the arm. "You're a good man. Well, kid. Happy Birthday."

Captain Marvel can't hide the shock on his face. "I, uh, don't know what you're talking about."

Luthor pulls out a card from his left pocket. "Who do you think funds the foster home you live in?" He hands the card to Captain Marvel. "I know Superman has poisoned your mind about me but I do more good for this planet in a year than he has his entire time here. Charities, cheap power and nutrition drinks, foster homes, these are just the tip of the iceberg."

Captain Marvel looks down and sees it was Luthor's business card. "If you ever want any thing call me."

Captain Marvel doesn't have any pockets so keeps the card in his hand. "I, well, could you give us a piece of Crystal Kryptonite?"

"Gladly. Where shall I have it sent? I don't believe I can send it by postal to the Watchtower."

Captain Marvel is nervous and starts to sweat. "Uh, the, wait, we're still rebuilding the Hall of Justice."

"I'll send it there any ways. You and your friends can examine it as much as they want. Maybe they will discover what it truly is. I simply call it Crystal Kryptonite because that is what it most resembles. Of course I do not have the resources of the Lantern Corp."

"Uh, thank you." Captain Marvel looks around at the destruction. "I'm sorry about this. I'd help clean up," Luthor cuts him off.

"But you don't even clean your own room. No worries. You did not make this mess. Superman did."

In Metropolis the lights start coming back on as the old power plant is reactivated.

**Gotham**

**Novermber 12****th**** 01:35 UTC**

Batman sneaks through the top window of a warehouse. Inside are several boxes and plenty of dust and spider webs.

Inside Ra's Al Ghul was waiting for him. "I see you are right on time, Bruce."

Batman walks out from the shadows. "Don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"Because we are not alone."

Clayface and Deathstroke step out from behind some boxes.

Deathstroke pulls a sword out. "I know who you are. As a member of the Light it is one of many benefits."

Batman motions his right hand and Nightwing lands next to him.

Ra's backs away. "I see you did not come alone as well."

"Of course he didn't." Nightwing has his Escrima sticks out already.

"I knew as much." Ra's looks Batman in the eyes. "That is not a problem."

Batman steps forward. "Why? Why set this trap? You were civil last time."

"Trap? Oh this is not a trap. This is so much more." Ra's steps back again leaving Clayface and Deathstroke to Batman and Nightwing.

Batman leaps at Deathstroke kicking him in the chest. Deathstroke slashes at him but Batman ducks under it.

Nightwing runs at Clayface dodging a large spike club arm. "Too slow." He sticks a device on Clayface that explodes with electricity.

Clayface ignores the device. "Again?" The device falls off. "You try the same trick over and over again."

"A trick? I call it a distraction."

The device explodes with frozen nitrogen freezing the bottom half of Clayface.

Deathstroke swings his sword and Batman blocks it with a batarang. He reaches with his other hand and grabs Deathstroke by the shirt.

He pulls back using his own weight to throw Deathstroke at Clayface.

Before either could react Nightwing hits Deathstroke on both sides of the head with his Escrima sticks knocking him out.

Clayface is still frozen in place as Nightwing and Batman stand side by side. "Ra's should have chosen a better trap."

Clayface smiles. "We aren't the trap. We're the distraction."

A gunshot rings out.

Nightwing turns to Batman. "No!"

**A/N Cliff hanger! Superman smashes the Light Generator and Batman... We must wait to find out! Got a lot of stuff going on between the UN and Justice League and the Light and outerspace and... Oh yeah, the pill thing Luthor swallowed at the beginning is from the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us. Those who haven't played it, **

**SPOILER, the pill makes you super tough. Bullet proofish and able to fight Superman with out being broken in to a million pieces with one punch. It was how they got away with some one like Green Arrow fighting Superman in a way that didn't end with Superman flicking a finger and Green Arrow's heart popping out the back of his chest.**

**Anyways, thank you for reading and hope you have the time to review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 8**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Outer Space**

**Unknown**

A girl flies through space looking for some one. She knew there was another one out there she just had to find them. Space was large but she was connected whether the other person knew it or not. She had to find them soon as she was getting weak.

**Gotham City**

**November 15****th**

Bruce Wayne stands in front of a podium in the conference room of his Tower. There are several cameras in front of him. "Hello. Many of you know me and what I do. I fund the Justice League. Any one who knows what happened to my parents would understand why."

He talks in a humbled voice. The sadness almost drips from his words. "I wanted to avenge them but couldn't. Then, then," He takes a deep breath to collect himself. "A man came to me saying he could do it. Not just my parents but the parents, children, wives and husbands, of all Gotham citizens. I gave him the funding and technology to become Batman."

Bruce takes a few seconds to keep his composure. "It wasn't enough. Every city had crime. Every country had murderers. So when he came to me with the idea of the Justice League I agreed it was a good idea."

He looks back and forth at the various cameras. "I thought it was the right thing to do. Now? Now I see how wrong I was. The billions in damages, the lives ruined, and the money wasted on what? Aliens, monsters, Amazons, and others ruling from an Ivory Tower in the sky."

He looks up at the ceiling almost as if he could see the Watchtower. He looks back at the cameras. "Then Lex Luthor came up with the idea for the UN League. A group of real heroes. Humans defending humans. Earth protecting Earth. I know now that this is the proper way to fight crime."

He steps away from the podium. "I am defunding the Justice League and Batman as the last act as sole owner of Wayne Enterprise."

Out from camera view steps Lex Luthor. "I have joined with this man to form a new corporation. The Lex Wayne INC will be a company that funds not just a company but a world. The Light Generator, the Reach Drink, and the UN League will be the start of a new world."

Lex Luthor takes over as he steps up to the podium. "Together two of the richest men in the world can enrich the world. Not through force and fear like the Justice League but fighting crime at its source. We will create jobs, pay police officers what they deserve while hiring more, and end world hunger."

On the Watchtower the heroes there have mixed reactions. Wonder Woman had stopped crying and wanted revenge. She wanted to... But couldn't. Part of her will had been broken.

Nightwing was leaning against Artemis almost too weak to stand. The nightmare, it must be a nightmare, was too much for him. He had just started getting back in to the swing of things but now was worse than even after Jason had been killed. If it weren't for Artemis... Much like when he first went back to the cave after Jason's death where Alfred had saved him Artemis had this time.

Captain Marvel seethes with rage. He had almost trusted Lex Luthor and now, now, this. He still had the card and wanted to do much more than call Luthor. He was sure now Luthor had done some thing to Superman. No one had seen him since Superman attacked the Light Generator.

Black Canary and Green Arrow hold on to each other as they watch Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor join forces. Oliver Queen's company could maybe cover some of the costs but he knew it couldn't fund the Justice League like Wayne Enterprise had.

In Wayne Manor Tim is packing his things. He couldn't live in the house with Bruce any more. Not while he was doing what he was doing with Lex Luthor.

Alfred sees Tim through the door. "Master Tim if you plan on leaving please make sure to pack a toothbrush and deodorant."

Tim had forgotten those things. "You won't stop me?"

Alfred can barely contain his sorrow and depression. "If I could leave I would. I told myself I would never abandon the Wayne family. If not for that oath I would move on."

Tim slams a table against the wall. "It isn't him! It is a clone made by the Light!" Tears fill Tim's eyes. "They killed him and replaced him before we could tell any one!"

Alfred leans against the door frame. "They killed Batman. Before the Justice League could react the man posing as Master Bruce was, was," Alfred gives up.

"Then leave with me. I'm going to the Watchtower. This clone doesn't, he doesn't, he isn't Batman."

"I know. What ever this clone is it is not Master Bruce. He does not know of the Batcave." Alfred had been watching the clone trying to figure out what it knew and didn't know.

"It isn't a he it is an It!" Tim storms off to the bathroom to grab his toiletries.

**Outer Space**

**Unknown**

Superboy and Beast Boy were fighting panic and despair. They had less then three days worth of supplies. Beast Boy is in the pilot seat while Miss Martian lies motionless on the floor. "I, I could turn in to an elephant and you could, you know, for both of you."

"No." Superboy keeps scanning the space in front of them.

The Bioship starts making a static noise. "Garfield do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Superboy tries to focus on the noise. "I think the Bioship is trying to communicate with me." He hears a few words that weren't English but were definitely words. "We're near another ship! She's picking up on their radio transmissions."

Beast Boy leaves the pilot seat and morphs in to an eagle. Both super visioned heroes scan the space around them looking for the other ship.

Instead they find some thing even better. A small planet.

Beast Boy turns back in to himself and goes to the pilot chair. "How do we know they aren't hostile?"

"I can take any of them." Superboy turns to Miss Martian. "We'll get you help soon M'gann."

Beast Boy flies to the planet. "Uh, do you see a landing strip any where?"

"I don't care just land."

Beast Boy sees what looks like a parking lot and lands the Bioship.

The Bioship opens in the front and the two take a deep breath of fresh air for the first time in several weeks.

Several aliens walk over to the two. They speak in a language neither could understand. "Uh, we're lost. Are we in Lantern Corp space?"

The aliens stand silently for a few seconds before responding. "Translation complete. English, spoken on Earth, oxygen rich planet. You are very lost."

"Uh, yeah, we are." Superboy turns back to the Bioship. "And we have some one who was hurt. We need to get home."

The lead alien, a large purplish creature with bark like skin, makes a few clicking noises. "Sorry, yes, we are part of the Lantern Corp protection. Gorlax is our Lantern. He should be able to get you home."

Beast Boy ignores what the alien looks like and hugs him. "Thank you!"

The other aliens pull out weapons. "Stand down. He is not attacking me he is showing gratitude."

Beast Boy pulls away. "Sorry, I, we've been lost for a long time."

The lead alien leads the two towards a large building near the center of town.

**Seattle**

**November 19****th**** 19:25**

Kid Flash and Blue Beetle are high fiving after stopping a bank robbery. "That was awesome!" Kid Flash hears a few cheers and some boos. "Oh come on who could boo us?"

"People who like me better." Kid flash and Blue Beetle both jump and turn to see Yellow Mamba. "Good job though."

"What are you doing here?" Kid Flash moves closer to her trying to turn on the charm. "This is so crash seeing you though. Dig the outfit Yellow Mamba." He smiles at her.

"Thanks." She smiles back. "But please, just call me Mamba."

"Why? Didn't you choose the name?"

She shakes her head. "Do you really think I would have used the word yellow? I said Black Mamba since it is the fastest snake in the world. I originally wanted a black suit. They said black was the wrong color for a UN League member. So they chose yellow and called me Yellow Mamba. Geesh, what's next, a black guy with lightning powers being called Black Lightning?" Both Blue Beetle and Kid Flash laugh.

_There is some thing wrong with this girl._ "No there isn't." _She does not react properly. She is not telling the truth._ "Be quiet."

Mamba gives him a strange look. "The beetle, it talks, I tell it to shut up, it continues to talk. Repeat this a few thousand times and you know what it is like."

Kid Flash leans forward and whispers to Mamba. "Black Lightning's lightning is black and he chose the name so not nearly as racist."

She whispers back. "Catch me." She smacks Kid Flash catching him off guard and then takes off.

Kid Flash recovers quickly and takes off after her.

Blue Beetle is left behind. "I guess I'm going home." _You should follow. She could be setting a trap to harm the Kid Flash._ "She's a good guy! Well, girl." _You should have stopped her when you had the chance._

Jaime continues to ignore the beetle as he flies out of Seattle.

Kid Flash chases Mamba across the water. "She's actually leaving me behind I better not hold back." He gives an extra burst of speed and closes the distance.

She zig zags across the Pacific Ocean before reaching land some where in Russia. She runs across the snow of Siberia. "Snow won't low me down!"

"What about ice?" She zigs north towards the Arctic Circle.

"Even worse at slowing me down." Kid Flash gets closer and closer to Mamba.

The pass the north pole and soon cross in to Canada. "Are you getting tired yet Kid?"

"Never!" Kid Flash opens a container on his left wrist and devours an energy bar. "Ok maybe just a little."

Mamba crosses in to America and turns towards the west coast. "Where are you going?"

"Where ever I want. With my speed I can do any thing I want." She stops and sticks her foot out.

Kid Flash trips over her foot and tumbles across the dirt. She runs up and stops next to him. "Have a nice trip?" She sticks her hand out.

He reaches up to take it when she pulls it away. "Too slow."

He gets up on his own. "I don't know whether to smack you or kiss you."

"Hold your horses I don't kiss on the first date." She smiles and laughs.

"First date? I didn't know this was a date. I would have brought flowers." He looks around and only sees a couple dandelions. He is a blur as he gathers them up and hands them to her.

She takes the dandelions. "How romantic." She tosses them to the ground. "You'll have to do better than that to get a second date."

"Like what?"

"Prove you're faster."

"I thought women liked a man who could take it slow." His mischievous grin is not lost on her.

"Not in a race." She takes off and he takes off after her again.

They are going through the Rockies when she steps in a hole and stumbles. She tumbles for many yards sliding toward the edge of a cliff.

Kid Flash grabs her by the hand just before she went over the edge. "Gotcha." He helps her up.

"I guess you did." She dusts herself off. "Does this suit need to be dry cleaned? I haven't had to clean it yet."

Kid Flash shrugs his shoulders. "Mine doesn't. I think. I live on the Watchtower. I leave a suit out and a clean one replaces it."

She gets closer to Kid Flash. "What's the Watchtower like?"

"Really cool. I don't wanna brag but the view is better than any thing you've ever seen."

"Could I see it? With you?" She gets even closer. Her hip touching his.

He starts to get nervous. "Uh, I don't think so. You're UN League and work for Lex Luthor."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah you guys don't like him. I get it. Must suck though that we have all the funding now that Bruce dropped you guys."

Mamba has no idea why Kid Flash's smile disappeared. She had been joking but Kid Flash's anger was any thing but a joke. "Don't you dare say his name!" Kid Flash has to restrain himself from hitting Mamba.

He knew who Bruce Wayne was. He never really knew the man or Batman. But he saw how hurt every one in the League and on the Team was crippled by the death of Bruce Wayne.

Nightwing had been coming back to the team but had quit again.

Wonder Woman had taken a break. She did watch on the Watchtower but that was all. It had given Cassie more and more work to do in the name of the Amazons.

All the heroes seemed weaker, slower, broken. Some had started to recover but even then they weren't the same. He tried to keep the smile, the laugh, but even he had been weakened by Batman's death.

Mamba takes a few steps back almost stepping over the edge of the cliff. "Calm down. I didn't know it was such a sore spot for you guys."

"You have no idea." Kid Flash vibrates with rage. "Luthor is an evil man working with evil people! You work for him!"

Mamba takes a step forward. "I work for myself! I was almost killed by two criminal scumbags." Her voice changes, deepens. "Now? Now I kill them." She punches Kid Flash in the stomach hard and then takes off.

By the time he recovers she was long gone. "She kills them? The UN League isn't supposed to kill." He sits down and shakes his head. "I wonder if the others know."

Nightwing and Tigress had told the others of their meeting with Cyborg. He was a good guy who knew Luthor was rotten. But what about the others? Were they killing like Mamba said she did? He wanted to know but knew he wouldn't get answers that night.

**Central City**

**November 22****nd**** 13:00**

Nightwing, Dick, is sitting on Artemis' couch watching television. "As soon as they started the attacks stopped. Police are unsure of why but the vigilante using arrows to cripple criminals has stopped."

"Because I, Batman, figured out it wasn't us. If we knew it wasn't us then what would be the point of continuing the attacks?" He talks to no one as Artemis was at her mother's as her sister visited with her niece.

Artemis holds the baby while Chesire, Jade, helped their mother with dinner. She invited Dick to come with her but he said no. She knew he was hurting and she tried to make him feel better but what could she do? She couldn't bring Bruce, the real one, back from the dead.

She joins the others at the table. "So Lil Sis how's Dick?"

"He's, not, not ok. Even worse than I was." Artemis pokes at her food not really hungry. "I hear him talk to himself when he thinks I'm not listening."

Jade helps her baby sit up in the high chair. "What about? He doesn't blame himself does he?"

Artemis doesn't even look up from her plate. She just continues poking at her food. "Of course he does. He was there. They had beaten Deathstroke and Clayface, again. Neither one, he said, had time to react. One second Batman was there and the next, gone."

Artemis fights back tears. Batman and Green Arrow came to her mother to get permission to bring Artemis on to the team. Batman thought she was good enough to join the team. Dick, the annoying twerp, knew who she really was and didn't care. He let her prove herself. Batman would chew them out but praise them in the same breath. He was almost like a... "I don't know what to do or say."

Artemis' mother speaks up. "Just be there for him like he had been there for you. When you lost Wally I was worried about what you would do. When Jade told me about Dick staying with you it helped me know you were being looked after."

Jade tries to stifle a laugh but fails. "Sorry but he's done a lot more than watch after her."

Artemis pushes away from the table. "Jason was spying on us and so have you. Some one else was too. They knew when we went to bed and when Dick left." She stands up. "What do we have to do to get some privacy?"

Jade smirks. "Close the blinds."

"Jade, be quiet. You've never lost some one that close to you. What if,"

Jade puts a hand on her daughter. "Don't even say it." She turns to Artemis. "I'm sorry. You know me. How I handle situations. I either kick butt or make fun of it. If those don't work I'm lost."

Artemis pushes her chair in. "I'm not hungry and I shouldn't leave Dick alone for too long."

Dick wakes up on the couch when he hears the door close. "Oh, hey, how was your mother's?"

Artemis rushes to the television and turns it off. "Dick, outside, some one was shot with an arrow." She looks out the window. "In the back. Like before."

Dick leaps from the couch. "Let me get my mask and we can look in to it."

She was already going to her closet to get her suit and mask.

The two change quickly and rush outside.

The man was on his stomach being loaded in to an ambulance. Nightwing scans the area for any other clues while Tigress follows the ambulance so she can try and get the arrow.

Nightwing realizes what he was doing. He was back in action. The first time since he watched Batman die. "They did this on purpose. Shooting some one right outside of our apartment. They want me out here." He runs back inside the apartment building.

He throws the door open just as some one else leaps out the far window. "Get back," He smells gas and turns to the stove. "Oh s-" The room explodes with a gas fireball setting the rest of the apartment on fire.

Deathstroke lifts his mask back and smiles as he sees Nightwing leap out the window and land on the ground still on fire. "I killed the bat and now I kill the bird." He puts the mask back over his face and sneaks around from his position.

Nightwing rolls on the ground putting the fire out. "It was a trap."

"No," Deathstroke stands over Nightwing with his sword out. "It was a distraction." He goes to stab Nightwing through the heart when an arrow hits his sword. He sword being knocked off the mark cuts Nightwing through the shoulder instead of the heart.

Tigress leaps over a car and lands near Deathstroke. "You almost had me. I was following the ambulance when I realized there was no way you would be so obvious. It was a distraction."

"Very good girl. Now have you figured out who the second archer is?"

Tigress is already doing a back flip when an arrow flies through the air. If she hadn't moved it would have gone through her right ear and out the other.

A girl walks out from an alley reloading the auto launcher on her right wrist. "So close."

"Very good daughter."

Nightwing had been recovering the entire time and was ready to fight back. No, not fight, run.

He slaps a rocket on the left ankle of Deathstroke and activates it.

Deathstroke is dragged down the sidewalk by the rocket as he tries and get it off.

Deathstrokes daughter aims for Nightwing but Artemis fires at her distracting her.

Nightwing is up and on his feet throwing smoke bombs. "Artemis get out of here!" He ducks as an arrow flies over his head. "Run!" They use the cover of smoke to flee from the street.

Deathstroke slams in to a wall and stops as the rocket runs out of power.

His daughter walks over to him as he stands up. "Are you injured father?"

"No Rose. Where is your brother?"

She simply smiles. "Why do you think I missed?"

Nightwing and Artemis run until they make it to a zeta tube. "We better get to the Watchtower and let them know what happened."

Each walk through and appear on the Watchtower.

Nightwing takes a few steps forward when he hears some thing behind him. He turns around and sees Artemis had fallen flat on her face. "Artemis!" He drops to his knees and checks her vitals. "You're breathing."

Her eyes open. "Huh? How did I get here? Where's the ambulance?"

Nightwing hugs her ignoring her questions. "You must have hit your head or some thing. You'll be ok we'll get you checked out at the infirmary."

She sniffs the air. "Why do I smell burnt hair and pork?"

Nightwing had been in shock. His adrenaline flowing he was able to ignore his own injuries. Looking down at himself he realizes how badly he had been hurt. "We both need the infirmary." He helps her up and the two walk to the infirmary.

**Wayne Manor**

**November 24****th**

Jason walks up to the door and knocks. He wasn't sure what he was going to do yet. Would he attack the clone? Would he simply yell and leave? It was Thanksgiving Day and he came home. He wasn't sure why he came home just then he just felt like he had to.

The door opens and Alfred sees Jason. "Hello Master Jason. Are you here for dinner?"

"I, I don't know. What is, the thing, like?"

Alfred speaks softly. "Master Bruce is the same. He is Master Bruce."

Jason had heard the same thing from Arsenal who had talked with Nightwing at the funeral. A funeral he didn't attend. "But he's not Batman."

Alfred shakes his head. "No, no he is not. I've always wanted a day that Master Bruce would retire and settle down. Not like this." Alfred lets Jason in.

Jason walks through the house feeling some pull towards a certain room.

He walks through a door and sees Bruce Wayne, the clone, standing in front of a fireplace. Above the mantle was a picture of the Bruce when he was a child with his parents. "Hello Bruce."

Bruce turns around and sees Jason. "Hello Son. Welcome home."

Jason feels dizzy and almost collapses.

Bruce walks over to him grabs him before he can collapse. "Are you feeling well? Should I ask Alfred to get you some thing?"

"No, I, this," Jason can't think clearly. "Activation words. They must have been keyed to you." Jason pushes away from Bruce.

"Activation words? What are you talking about?" Jason is surprised by the sound of sincerity in Bruce's voice.

"Leave me alone!" Jason turns and stumbles down the hallway. "Stay out of my head!" He screams as he knocks several things off of a table when he falls to his left.

"Son if you are sick we need to get you help." Bruce follows after Jason.

"Don't call me that! He never called me son. I had a father. I didn't need another I needed a mentor." Jason grabs a vase and throws it at Bruce. Due to being dizzy he misses wildly.

"Son please stop and sit down. You need help."

Alfred hears the commotion and walks in to see Jason on the floor with Bruce standing over him. Blood is coming from Jason's ears. "What have you done to the boy?" Alfred grabs an umbrella from an umbrella stand. "Stay back from Master Jason!" Alfred advances on Bruce.

"He's sick and I'm trying to help him! Call for a doctor now before he gets even worse." Bruce kneels down next to Jason.

"Alfred, get him, away," Jason collapses.

Alfred sticks the tip of the umbrella in to the shoulder of Bruce. "You heard Master Jason."

Bruce stands up. "Who pays you?"

"The Wayne Foundation."

The two stare in to each others eyes. Neither one blinks.

Alfred sees some thing in Bruce's eyes. "You don't know do you?"

"Know what?"

Again Alfred sees it. It was a look had had seen for years. "You really don't know." Alfred takes a step back and sets the umbrella down. "I will make the call but I suggest you stay away from Master Jason. His, condition, is not contagious but I do not wish to need to clean blood from your clothes again."

Alfred hurries to the nearest phone and calls for an ambulance. He makes his next call to a secret number that connects him with the Watchtower.

Wonder Woman gets the call. "Alfred? What has it done?"

"I don't believe we should call it an it. Him and it."

"Why?" Wonder Woman can't hide the anger in her voice.

"He doesn't know. He, the clone, truly believes it is, he is, Bruce Wayne."

Wonder Woman scoffs. "So? It isn't him."

"It, he, doesn't know that. He is innocent. He may be programmed by the Light but he doesn't know."

Alfred's voice is almost enough to persuade Wonder Woman. "Why do you say this?"

"Master Jason came here for Thanksgiving dinner. I found him on the floor and bleeding. I thought the clone had attacked him but he hadn't. He showed concern for the boy. I looked him in the eye and I saw the spark."

"Spark?"

Alfred tries to think of a way to explain it. "I've worked with special forces when I was younger. It is how I met the elder Master Wayne." Alfred stops.

"Are you still there?"

"I've seen the light, the spark, leave a man's eyes more than once. This clone, this Master Bruce, has that spark. He think he is Master Bruce and truly a part of him is Master Bruce."

Wonder Woman almost breaks the phone in her hand. "Keep an eye on _it." _She hangs up on Alfred.

**Pacific Ocean**

**November 30****th**** 1**

Aqualad is on the submarine with his father. He had been keeping a close eye on his father and looking, waiting, for a betrayal. So far though had none come.

Black Manta had tried to warn them. The Light had been making a plan against Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately Black Manta did not know enough to save Bruce's life.

Aqualad looks out a port window at the sea life swimming by. He could almost forget the surface world at times like these. "Son?"

He turns and sees his father. "Yes?"

Black Manta enters the room. "My men have picked up a rather odd noise." Aqualad doesn't respond. "It was organic yet the source would be four times larger than any Blue Whale."

This catches his attention. "What is it?"

"We don't know. Do you know of any Atlantean creature of that size?" Aqualad shakes his head. "It may be alien in nature. Some thing the Reach left behind."

Aqualad looks back out the window. "Some thing that size could never hide on land. The ocean? It could be right under us and we'd never see it."

Black Manta nods. "Contact the League if you want but I think we will investigate this noise. An animal that size would most likely be an herbivore but if it is some type of alien it could be extremely dangerous."

"Yes, yes it could."

**Somalia**

**December 2****nd**

Power Girl and Yellow Mamba are on the coast after dealing with a small pirate ship. Power Girl throws a pirate on the beach. "Where is the ship that has the hostages?"

The pirates respond in their native language. Yellow Mamba taps her foot rapidly. "This is getting us no where. I say we go back out and hunt the ship down."

Power Girl rolls her eyes and sighs. "Do you have any idea how large the ocean is? There are probably dozens of these pirate ships out there."

Yellow Mamba shrugs her shoulders. "So sink em as we find them."

"We can't kill these people. Even pirates."

"What about poachers who kill humans who get in their way?" Power Girl's eyes glow. "You think you're fast enough to hit me?"

Power Girl's eyes stop glowing. "Maybe. We don't kill. We aren't allowed."

"Any thing is allowed if you don't get caught." Yellow Mamba smiles. "But we won't kill yet. We gotta find those hostages. Poor dudes working for a living get hijacked by these scum." Yellow Mamba is a blur as she runs across the ocean looking for the right pirate ship.

Power Girl flies over the waters and spots a ship. She uses her xray vision to look through the ship. "Nope." She flies past it ignoring the shouts and a couple of gun shots.

An hour later she hears shouting with her super hearing and flies towards it.

She sees Yellow Mamba tearing a ship apart. Three pirates shoot at her but miss. "Hey!"

One of the pirates turns and shoots at her. The bullets bounce off harmlessly.

She flies down and rips the top off the cabin of the ship and finds three Asian men with their hands tied behind their backs. "Good job Yellow Mamba." Power Girl has no problem lifting the three men as Yellow Mamba take the guns and throws them in the water.

Yellow Mamba stands on the front of the boat. "You don't understand English do you?" None of the pirates respond. "Do you understand this?" She holds up some torn wires.

One of the pirates recognize the wires and their importance. They went to the engine and the radio.

Power Girl was already flying towards India and never saw Yellow Mamba throw the wires in to the ocean leaving the pirates stranded.

**Wayne Manor**

**December 5****th**** 23:45**

Bruce walks out near the road when a limo pulls up. The door opens and he gets in.

Across from him is Vandal Savage. "Missing Father."

Bruce's eyes go blank. "Very Good. What has happened? We noticed there was a call placed to the Watchtower."

"The boy Jason Todd came for Thanksgiving. He is ill and needed help. I did not call the Watchtower."

Vandal Savage taps his ring as he listens to the rest of Bruce's report. "The Prospect? Ah, the failed plant of Ra's Al Ghul. We were going to kill you off and have him inherit every thing. Of course with him being released by one of Luthor's failed plans we had to change ours. Merging your company with Luthor was not the best of situations but it has worked so far. You may leave."

Bruce opens the door and walks back to Wayne Manor as the limo drives off.

**Metropolis**

**December 9****th**

Lex Luthor is in his office when some thing blocks the Sun from shining through. He looks up and sees Captain Marvel.

Luthor presses a button and the window rises in to the ceiling. "Come in."

Captain Marvel flies through the open and throws the card at Luthor. "What have you done with Superman?"

"Me? Nothing. Why do you ask?"

Captain Marvel controls his anger as he approaches Luthor. "No one has seen him since the Light Generator thing."

"Oh you mean when Superman destroyed my property? Property of Lex Corp to be used to power all of Metropolis for pennies on the dollar?"

Captain Marvel sparks with energy. "You did some thing to him! The Crystal Kryptonite must have affected him!"

Luthor simply pushes a button on his phone. "Mercy would you please bring me a piece of CK?"

"Yes Luthor."

A few seconds later Mercy comes in with a metal suitcase. She sets it on Luthor's desk and opens it.

Inside was a piece of Crystal Kryptonite. "I know I said I would send a piece to the Hall of Justice but I am a busy man and lost track of the time. Take this piece and study it all you want."

Mercy closes the suitcase and hands it to Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel takes the case. "You know with out Superman or Superboy we have no Kryptonians to test this on."

"Superboy is missing as well? What has the League done with my son?"

Captain Marvel feels his energy around him. He was trying to stay calm he really was but he knew soon he would snap. "You are an evil man! You fooled me! I thought maybe we could actually trust you and instead you killed Batman!"

"I did? I believe that was part of Savage and Ra's Al Ghul's plans. Again I am a very busy man running my company and being UN Secretary General. I don't have time to know what every one else is doing." His voice remains calm like he was talking about the weather. "I had no hand in it."

"You are the Light!"

"I am also Lex Luthor. I wear many caps and one cap did not involve killing Batman. I am sorry the man died he was a great hero. A but misguided yes but a great hero. I actually owe him my life, twice."

Captain Marvel feels himself calm down. "You could have stopped it."

Luthor simply shakes his head and leans back in his chair. "There are several Kings on this chessboard. I control one."

"There are only two Kings on a chessboard. The rest are pawns or the little castle thingy or the horse."

"My thoughts exactly." His phone beeps and he looks at a screen. "Take the suitcase with you but please leave now. I have a meeting to attend."

"I," Captain Marvel had thought of what he would do when he came here. He had been planning it on his own for days. This was nothing like he had though. "I'll talk to you later, I guess."

"Don't forget my card."

Captain Marvel sees it crumpled on the floor and picks it up before flying out through the window with the suitcase.

**Arizona**

**December 11****th**

Blue Beetle is enjoying the night air. He had been to the Watchtower earlier but Aqualad was still with Black Manta and Team Gamma had no other missions.

He walks around in his street clothes covering the beetle on his back. "Winter is coming." He smells the crisp air and can almost feel the ice move in to his lungs. "Even here it gets cold."

He doesn't notice the fireball falling from the sky. He doesn't notice it until it is too late. "Aaaa!" The fireball misses him by inches and slams in to the ground.

The beetle forms over him almost instantly and he flies up in to the air. He waits for an attack but none comes.

He flies down to the small crater and sees a woman. A very strange looking woman. "Whoa, _senorita,_ you ok?"

The girl stands up slowly and stumbles towards him.

Blue Beetle walks over to her and grabs her as she falls over. She looks him in the eye and kisses him! _Pull away! _ Jaime ignores the beetle.

When the strange alien girl pulls away she smiles. "_Hola, mi llamo Starfire._"

"_Hola._ Hello. My name is Jaime Reyes." The beetle draws back revealing Jaime. "I guess you kissed me to learn my language?"

"_Si._" She smiles again. "Yes. Two languages, very strange. Three if you count the one from your Beetle. But that I already know." She steps back and an orange armor covers her. "For I was Orange Beetle. Formerly known as a warrior of the Reach." Purple, Red, and Silver are added to the armor. "Now we are One.." Jaime sees the Purple and Red Beetle on her left and right shoulders. In the middle of her chest was the Silver Beetle. The Orange Beetle remained on her back. "We are the Beetle."

**A/N Wow! Starfire makes an appearance and it turns out she was Orange Beetle! But after the battle with War World and Darkseid the other beetles whose hosts died attached themselves to the only living thing, Starfire, creating an all new Beetle. What will she do? Why has she come to Earth? Why couldn't her beetles translate so she didn't have to kiss any one? Wait to find out!**

**And yes, I killed Batman! But I did not kill Bruce. He was what was in the pods during previous episodes. They made several clones waiting for the perfect one to be used. **

**Also we see the appearance of Rose Wilson, aka Ravager! Even more people we gotta try and follow. Great like it isn't hard enough keeping track of every one already!**

**Gah I have too many characters to follow and even more plans and plots! I hope you can all follow them as I try and follow them!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 9**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Watchtower**

**December 12****th**** 0:35**

Blue Beetle brings Starfire, The Beetle, to the Justice League and the Team. Martian Manhunter, Hal Jordan, and Wonder Woman of the Justice League meet with him. Artemis and Nightwing also meet with him having been staying on the Watchtower after her apartment had been destroyed. "Your message sounded urgent." Martian Manhunter sees The Beetle. "The Reach sent another Beetle?"

Blue Beetle turns to The Beetle. "Kind of _ese_. She says the Reach was destroyed by the War World."

The Beetle speaks up. "We are The Beetle. We are the Reach." The Beetles, one on each shoulder and one on her chest flash a few times. "We came to our Brother Beetle to unite our own and destroy the War World. I was surprised to learn from our Brother Beetle that there were being with powers beyond his or the Reach."

Hal Jordan rubs his ring a little suspicious of The Beetle. "What about other Beetles?"

The Beetle armor retracts from The Beetle revealing Starfire. "There is only one other activated and he works for the War World."

Nightwing has trouble taking his eyes off of Starfire. "He joined with Vandal Savage?"

She shakes her head. "The being said his name was Darkseid."

Hal's eyes go wide with shock. "No, the, they can't have that kind of power. If he has the War World he would be unstoppable."

Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter almost shake in fear. The League came together to fight Darkseid's invasion of Earth. It took the greatest heroes of Earth to stop it. Two of those heroes were gone. One dead and another missing.

Starfire responds. "We damaged the War World but the others with me died. I nearly died. The other Beetles attached to me and saved my life. All four fought for control and in a last ditch effort shut each other off."

Nightwing gets closer and sees only three Beetles. "Four?" She turns around she shows the Orange Beetle on her back. "So you're off mode?"

She turns back around. "No. They reactivated themselves at the same time. Merging together to form one Beetle. We are the Beetle." The new multicolored Beetle armor forms back over her. "We are One."

Artemis notices the way Nightwing had reacted to Starfire. "I don't think we can trust her. She admits she is on mode."

Hal nods in agreement. "If the Reach had been destroyed then the Beetle's would have no master. If the Reach has really been destroyed." He didn't want to think about if that was true. The War World under Apokolips control? Alone the War World was the most powerful ship in the Universe. With Apokplips technology? It would be far worse.

Blue Beetle gets between The Beetle and the others. "I'm not asking she stays here or any thing. I just thought you guys should know this stuff. This is really important stuff." _You want The Beetle to stay with you because of the chemical reactions The Beetle gives you Jaime Reyes. "_No I don't!" _Your internal reaction shows that is a lie._ "It isn't!"

Thankfully every one there knew he was arguing with the Beetle.

The Beetle armor pulls back again. "We are on mode but we have no mode to be on with out the Reach. Why we came to a Brother Beetle." She turns towards the way she came. "Do not worry about trust. If I wanted to destroy this station or kill you I would have already done so." She walks away.

"Uh, wait!" Blue Beetle follows after her realizing she may have just turned the whole League and Team against her.

**Outer Space**

**December 13****th**** 14:30**

The BioShip flies past the asteroid belt. After getting enough supplies and a good direction from the previous planet, Superboy and Beast Boy, were finally going to get home. With Miss Martian still in a coma.

Superboy strokes her hair. "We'll be home soon. We'll get your uncle to fix you. Like during that training simulation." He looks up through the window. "He'll fix you. He has to."

They fly past the Moon and see the Watchtower. "Land us there Garfield. Her uncle is most likely there." If not the Zeta Tubes would get them where Martian Manhunter was in only a few minutes.

The BioShip docks on to the Watchtower and Superboy carries Miss Martian from the BioShip. "Hey! Hey!"

Nightwing and Artemis saw the BioShip through a window and had gone to meet Team Alpha. "What's wrong? Where have you been?" Nightwing sees Superboy carrying Miss Martian. "What happened to her?"

"We don't know." Garfield was glad to be off the BioShip again. Weeks on it made him stir crazy. "We found the War World and she tried to read Savage's mind but some thing happened to her."

Nightwing knew. "It wasn't Savage. A being called Darkseid has control of the War World. She must not have been ready for what ever kind of thoughts he has." Nightwing hadn't even been Robin when that happened. The stories he heard from Batman...

"We'll get her Uncle he was one watch duty if I remember right." Artemis walks away leaving Nightwing with the others.

Martian Manhunter walks in with Artemis behind him and sees Superboy still cradling his niece. "She tried to delve in to the mind of Darkseid?" Garfield shrugs his shoulders.

Superboy responds. "We thought it was Savage on the War World. She's been like this since then and I, we, we don't know how to wake her."

Martian Manhunter walks over to Superboy as Superboy lays her down on the floor. He kneels down and places his hand on her forehead. "She is still active, mentally. If not she would not be in this form." He closes his eyes and focuses on her mind.

_There is screaming and shouting all around him. He sees what looks like blood raining from the sky. Except he was on Mars and there was no rain let alone blood rain._

_He walks around as the blood rain soaks in to his clothes. "M'gann!"_

_One of the screams was quieter now. "M'gann! Where are you?"_

"_Uncle J'onn!"_

_He looks around but can't tell where the shout came from. "M'gann where are you hiding?"_

"_I'm not hiding." Suddenly a large white Martian skitters towards him on their arms and legs like a dog. "I'm right here!" It attacks him!_

_J'onn become corporeal and the white Martian's claw move right through him. "This is not you! Stop this!" He tries to connect with her telepathically but is nearly blinded by the pain it causes him._

"_Death! I am the harbinger of death! Death shall rain from the sky every where I walk!" The White Martian screams and charges him again._

_J'onn, in his pain, can't concentrate and can't change his density as before and is slashed across the chest. "Stop this M'gann! You are not a monster!"_

"_Look at me! I am a monster! Even my fellow Martians think I am!"_

"_But those who matter do not! They know this form and they still love you. Conner still loves you!"_

_The White Martian stops before it attacks again. "He is a fool. He doesn't know any better. Some one better, some one not a monster, will come and take him from me! I can't go back to Earth any ways or else death will follow me there! I can't kill all those people."_

_J'onn ignores his wounds and tries to communicate with M'gann again. "This isn't real M'gann! This is all in your head. No one has died."_

"_They're all dead!" The White Martian was soaked to the bone with the blood raining from the sky. "I killed them just like I am going to kill you!" The White Martian attacks again._

_J'onn feels the claws dig in to his arm. He changes his other arm to extend unnaturally and grabs the White Martian on the face. "Stop M'gann!" He blast her psychically through his hand._

_The blood stops raining from above as the White Martian crumples to the ground clawing at its own skull tearing in to its flesh. "This is not real M'gann. Wake up."_

_The White Martian's claws continues digging in to its flesh and bone screaming the entire time._

_J'onn changes his shape and wraps tentacles around the White Martian's arms pulling its arms away from their skull. "Wake up M'gann. This all ends when you wake up."_

Superboy flinches and Garfield shouts in surprise as Martian Manhunter is thrown back away from M'gann.

M'gann starts to change form in to her Caucasian self when she stops halfway and starts to change in to her white self before changing again.

Superboy tries to hold her down as M'gann starts to convulse and tries to scratch at her own head.

More arms grow from her body as Superboy pins her other arms.

Garfield turns in to a gorilla and grabs the new arms. More spring out so he turns in to an octopus and grabs the new arms.

Martian Manhunter recovers and goes back to his niece. "M'gann you must wake up!" He tries to connect with her psychically again but is blocked.

M'gann's eyes snap open as she screams. She continues to shape shift as she screams.

Martian Manhunter and the rest back away as M'gann floats up to her feet.

Superboy starts feeling her touch on his mind. "Come in M'gann."

The others feel her connect with them as well.

M'gann starts to glow as the others stand around her connected mentally through her.

With one last scream M'gann collapses to the floor.

Garfield and Martian Manhunter both look over at Superboy. "She is my niece."

"And my sister!"

Artemis cuts them off. "They're adults they can do what they want." She glances at Nightwing and sees the look on his face. "Right?"

"Yes but seeing it through her eyes and his eyes at the same time is a little much." Nightwing was having a few reactions he tried to hide.

Superboy ignores everyone else and scoops M'gann up in his arms. "Is she going to be ok?"

Martian Manhunter nods. "What ever was gripping her mind has been spread through all of us. In one mind it is strong but in all of ours it is too weak to cripple." He could feel it in his mind but could control it.

Superboy hugs M'gaan tightly to his chest as he carries her to the infirmary to wait until she woke up.

**Wayne Manor**

**December 15****th**** 08:15**

Alfred keeps an eye on Bruce as Tim sneaks in for a few things he had forgotten. "Master Bruce would you require any thing else before work?"

"No Alfred, thank you." Bruce waves Alfred away.

Alfred walks to the door to check it was still closed when he saw a pair of Bruce's shoes. They had mud on them. "Where would he have gone in this home where mud would be? He must have gone outside but when?"

Alfred picks up the shoes and examines them. He notices a leaf on the bottom of the right shoe. "He went through the side entrance under the oak tree. Why would he be going out through that entrance? Especially last night." He takes the shoes to clean them off and wonders more about why Bruce had gone out the night before.

Tim sees Bruce and thinks about what he would do. "Bruce taught me never to kill. But this isn't a human it is a clone." He sighs as he ducks behind a couch as Bruce walks by. "Like Superboy. If Alfred is right and this clone doesn't know it is a clone then it is innocent. I can't hurt it. Him." Tim disappears in to the Batcave through the grandfather clock entrance now that Bruce had left the room.

**Tokyo**

**December 19****th**** 04:45**

Kid Flash is searching the city for the Yellow Mamba. It didn't take long for him to find her. "Hey, what's up?"

She turns and sees him. "What are you doing in my country?"

Kid Flash smiles. "Looking for you. I wanted to uh, talk, you know?" He was nervous. After their last meeting he wanted to find out more about her.

"Talk? Really? That's what you want to do with me?" She leans forward until their noses almost touch. "Wanna join me in some fun?"

"What kind of fun?"

She pulls away and points behind her. "Four Yakuza thugs are loading a shipment of heroin on to a bus. I was going to string them up and leave em hanging but you might have a more imaginative idea."

This was what he wanted to talk to her about. "You mean like leave them hanging up for the police to find?"

"Sure. They could come by and cut them down and give them proper burials."

Kid Flash feels a chill run down his spine. "You can't kill. UN laws or what ever say you can't."

"UN Smew-N. Imagine a world with out criminals? Imagine a world where criminals who kill can never kill again? A world where little girls aren't stabbed a dozen times because she tried to stop a robbery."

Her tone of voice and the way her face contorts sends chills down Kid Flash's spine. "We can have that world with out killing." He sees some thing over her shoulder.

Their talking had not gone unnoticed and the Yakuza thugs loading the drugs had their knives out. "Watch." Kid Flash is nothing more than a blur as he disarms all the men.

He comes back to Yellow Mamba with the knives. "See? Easy."

"We don't need knives!" One of the thugs goes to attack the two but trips as his shoelaces had been tied together.

Yellow Mamba grabs one of the knives from Kid Flash. "Don't kill them!"

He tries to stop her but she is just a step faster.

When she stops he notices there is no blood on the knife. He turns around and sees the men had their shirts cut off and used as rope to tie their hands behind their back. "Whoa. You, how, how fast are you?" He turns back around and she just smiles and waves the knife in his face.

"Faster than you."

"Prove it."

"I will." She throws the knife in the air and takes off.

Kid Flash takes after her and doesn't notice the knife land on the top of the head of one of the Yakuza thugs killing him almost instantly.

She runs across the ocean to America. Kid Flash is hot on her heels and gaining.

She makes it to Seattle and runs up the Space Needle and stops at the top. Kid Flash stops just underneath her. "I was gaining."

"You were slow." She looks down at the roof of the Space Needle. "I hear they have good food here."

Kid Flash looks down at his feet. "Uh, I bet it is expensive."

"You don't get paid?" He shakes his head. "That sucks. I get paid fifty grand, American, a year. Tax Free. Even better once you do the conversion to the Yen."

"One of the perks of becoming a member of the UN League huh?"

She nods. "You know it."

Kid Flash cranes his neck. "What is that?"

She turns to look and he rushes up behind her wrapping his arms around her. "So about you killing people. You do know that's not allowed right?"

She struggles but can't break free. "I haven't actually killed any one yet. I just think about how much easier it would be. Especially if I could get my hands on the two monsters who nearly killed me." She struggles some more so Kid Flash lets her go. "If they didn't have such thick walls blocking me out I'd at least give them a beating they'd never forget."

"You can't move through walls?"

"Uh, no. That's impossible unless you're a Martian."

Kid Flash smirks. "Really? I can move through walls. So can the Flash."

She scowls at him. "How?"

"You vibrate your atoms fast enough you can move through walls or through cuffs or any thing else. Matter isn't solid. There are miles between atoms when you get down to the subatomic level. Just like you don't sit on a chair you hover over it at fractions of a nanometer."

"Are you some kind of scientist?"

"Not an official one." He smiles and walks towards the edge of the Space Needle. "Race you down." He takes off and she rushes after him.

Off the coast of Japan, Aqualad and Black Manta are following the source of a sound that must come from a massive animal. "Our previous size analysis was wrong. This thing may be ten times the size of a Blue Whale."

Aqualad shudders to think what an animal that size could do if it wasn't a peaceful herbivore. "We must find this beast and find out if it is dangerous or not."

Black Manta picks up his helmet and puts it on. "Have you heard back from Atlantis?"

"Not yet father." Aqualad and his father continue their search for the animal.

**Watchtower**

**December 22****nd**

Superboy is in a room with Black Canary and Hal Jordan. Captain Marvel walks in with the briefcase containing the Crystal Kryptonite.

Black Canary takes the briefcase and opens it. "If you have any adverse reactions let us know. We may not be able to tell what it is doing to you on the inside or mentally if you don't tell us." She takes the Crystal Kryptonite out after putting on gloves. "Don't try and tough it out."

"I'll tell you." Superboy is nervous. After hearing about Superman and how no one had seen him sense he knew the Crystal Kryptonite could be very dangerous. Why a Green Lantern was there to contain him just in case.

Captain Marvel is just as nervous. He was there when Superman lost control. But Superboy was weaker. He could take him. He hoped.

Black Canary picks the Crystal Kryptonite up with her gloved hand and moves it towards Superboy. "Any thing?"

"No." Superboy grabs it from her hand shocking every one. "I don't feel any thing." He had been exposed to Green Kryptonite before. He knew what that felt like. "It may as well be a paperweight." He plays with it in his hands.

The others relax as Black Canary takes the piece back from Superboy. "This is not what I expected."

Hal had been rubbing his ring waiting for Superboy to go off. When he hadn't Hal wasn't sure what to do. "If this didn't make Superman attack then what did?"

Captain Marvel was as surprised as the others but had an idea. "Maybe it has to go through the generator? He didn't attack until Luthor turned it on."

Black Canary closes the suitcase after putting the piece back. "That might be why Luthor didn't care if we had the Crystal Kryptonite. He knew it wouldn't do any thing with out the generator." Black Canary lifts the suitcase and turns to the door. "You can go back to M'gann now Superboy."

Superboy gets back to the infirmary and finds it empty. "M'gann?" He uses his xray vision to look through the nearest walls and doesn't see her. "M'gann!"

He runs and sees Plastic Man. "Hey, have you seen M'gann?"

"No, should I have? Isn't she in the infirmary?"

"Yes, no, she should be." Superboy runs some more looking for M'gann.

In Central City the Flash is near a Zeta Tube about to go to the Watchtower for duty when the Zeta Tube refuses to turn on. "What the heck?" He kicks the machine and nothing happens.

Red Tornado is trying to leave the Watchtower when he too finds the Zeta Tubes are down. He goes over to a control panel. "I did not put them in to maintenance mode. Computer, end maintenance mode."

_I'm sorry Red Tornado, I can't do that._

Red Tornado is perplexed by this. The computer should have given a reason why it couldn't but it hadn't. "Terminate maintenance mode and reboot to proper function."

There is no response this time.

Red Tornado storms off to the control room to see what was going on.

Superboy is running down a hallway when he hears an alarm go off. _Warning. Fire in the control room. Fire in the control room._

"Great. Let the others handle it I need to find M'gann." He continues searching for her.

Red Tornado makes it to the control room and starts spinning the air around him. He sucks all of the air out of the room extinguishing the flames.

He sees the control panel had been ripped apart once the smoke clears.

Icon and Rocket run in together and see Red Tornado standing in front of the damaged control panel. Icon is the first to ask. "What happened RT?"

"I do not know. The Zeta Tubes are down in maintenance mode but I did not command that. I came here to fix it when I saw the flames."

Rocket walks over to the control panel and sees the mess of melted wiring and electronics. "Who ever did this used an accelerate." She leans down and sniffs. "Probably jet fuel from one of the emergency shuttles."

Superboy runs around a corner and sees M'gann slumped against the wall. "M'gann!" he rushes over to her. "What do you think you're doing? If you woke up," He notices she doesn't respond. "M'gann!" He lifts her off the floor easily and starts running back to the infirmary.

He places her on a medical bed. "Why won't you wake up? You put what ever it was in your head in all of us. You should have woken by now." He hugs her gently. "Who moved you? Why would they move you?" He pounds on a desk breaking it. "Uh, no one saw that." He tries to pick up the shattered pieces before any one else saw.

Around the world the various Justice League and Team members are confused as to why the Zeta Tubes were down.

Lagoon Boy is in Atlantis with Aquaman. "Neptune's Beard! Why are they not working?" He kicks the entrance to the Zeta Tube.

"Calm now. I will contact the Watchtower and figure out what is going on."

Batgirl is a little worried as she loses connection with the Watchtower and Nightwing who was on it at the time. "Strange for him to cut out like that. The Watchtower should be safe from any outside interference. Which means only some thing from the inside could have cut us off."

Deathstroke and Luthor simply nod at each other as their plan goes in to effect.

Belle Reve goes dark. All of the cells open. The guards are soon overrun by the prisoners who find their collars are also off.

With no way to communicate to the heroes of the Justice League the prison falls in minutes. The prisoners escape in all directions.

Arkham Asylum goes dark. The cells open. The guards don't even try to fight and simply flee in terror.

The inmates walk out and flood the streets of Gotham.

Barbara is at home in her normal clothes when a State of Alert comes over the television. "All residents are advised to stay home and lock their doors as the Gothem police attempt to stop the escaped," She turns the television off and quickly dresses in her Batgirl uniform.

The Special Powers United Nations Prison, Or SPUNP, notices a flicker of the lights but nothing else goes wrong.

Batgirl sees several escaped Arkham prisoners and sweeps down kicking one hard in the back. "Come on, any one, I need help." She tried over and over again to call the Team or the League and got nothing but static in response.

"Hey little girl." One of the inmates reveals a shiv. "How about I cut that throat of yours?"

She pulls a batarang out. "Try it." He lunges at her but she dodges and trips him.

As he falls she ducks under the swing of another prisoner. She knees him in the stomach knocking the wind from him.

The inmate with the shiv recovers and attacks her again. She blocks the knife with her batarang and knocks it out of his hand before punching him hard in the face dazing him.

Before she can do any thing else two prisoners grab her from behind. "Gotcha!" She struggles but can't break their grips.

"Let me go!" She can't reach her belt or gain enough leverage to twist herself free. If it had been one prisoner she could probably break his grip but with two of them holding her arms at her side she couldn't.

A birdarang hits the ground. "Close your eyes!" Batgirl recognizes what it was and closes her eyes in time.

The birdarang gives off a bright white flash blinding the other prisoners.

Robin lands and grabs Batgirl by the hand. "We better get out of here. I'm sure more saw that and are coming."

Batgirl won't move. "We can't! We have to stop them."

"We can't! There are too many of them and in case you didn't hear the Gotham Police have been given orders to shoot on sight. If they see us they'll shoot first and ask questions never."

She surrenders and runs with him in to an alley before climbing up a fire escape to the roof of an apartment building.

The Gotham Police in full riot gear call out through bullhorns a warning before shooting. Those who dropped to the ground are safe but those who refused to surrender are shot.

Prisoners break in to homes and other buildings causing as much pain and chaos as possible.

The police are starting to round up several of the prisoners when a green gas explodes from the sewers. The police and prisoners start laughing uncontrollably as they are hit with Joker Gas.

Robin and Batgirl see this and realize they can't stay out of it. "The Joker is behind this? How did he do it?"

Batgirl ignores Robin's question. She was more worried if her father had been down there when the gas came out from the sewers. "We have to help them! They'll die if we don't."

Robin pats his belt. "I don't carry any serum, do you?"

She shakes her head. "Doesn't Batman have it at the Batcave?"

"Yeah but we don't have enough for every one."

Batgirl tries to keep calm and think straight. "If we turn it in to a gas it will cover a larger area. I think the Batcave has what I need to do that."

"Then we better get going."

She shakes her head. "Stop them. I'll go to the Batcave but you have to help here." She hugs him. "Don't die." She takes off as Robin looks down at the street below.

The Joker Gas was dissipating. "It should be safe." He goes down to the street and hears a shout.

He runs and sees a couple prisoner dragging a woman out of her home. "Please! Let me go!" She struggles but is too weak.

"Shut up wench!" One of the prisoners hits her.

"You shut up!" Robin hits both with a birdarang in the head knocking the senseless.

At SPUNP, the Riddler and Icicle Jr. see the lights flicker again. "They're having electrical problem."

Icicle Jr. ignores the flickering lights. "So?"

The Riddler sighs and shakes his head. "I suspect the lights aren't the only things affected." Riddler watches Icicle Jr's collar closely.

Sure enough when the lights flicker again he notices the collar turns off for less than a second. "The next time the lights flicker try and use your powers."

"Why should I? We're still in prison."

Riddler starts getting frustrated. "Yes. We were in Belle Reve and I escaped. This time I'm helping some one else escape."

As soon as the lights flicker again Icicle Jr. forms a bit of ice. "See? Now put your hands on your collar and get ready to freeze it."

Icicle Jr. holds his collar and as the lights flicker he freezes his collar.

It breaks off easily giving Icicle Jr. full control of his powers. "Now what?"

"This prison I'm sure relies on the collars. Much as Belle Reve did. Some one like myself with only a powerful, quick, mind need only worry of being shocked. Some one like you? No powers makes you as harmless as a kitten." Icicle Jr. glares. "But with the collar off you become very dangerous. Freeze my collar and I'll continue getting you out of here."

Back in Gotham, Robin is soon in over his head. "There are too many of them." He barely escapes from six prisoners who had broken in to a sporting goods store and all carried bats. "I'd really like to be underwhelmed by the numbers. Or just whelmed." He watches the prisoners smash any thing they can with the newly acquired bats.

Batgirl grabs as many vials as she can of the newly made serum formula and sees the Batwing as she starts to leave. "He never let me fly it." She feels a wave of sadness hit as she thinks of Batman. "But this needs to be deployed as fast as possible." She runs over and climbs in to the Batwing. "Oh, crap." She isn't sure how to start it let alone fly it. "I can figure this out."

Riddler and Icicle Jr. leave their cell and look down the hallway. "No guards, good." Riddler also sees no windows. "You're skinny enough to slip in through some bars if we find a window."

"What if they don't have those kind of windows?"

Riddler stops for a second. "Then you'll have to freeze the window and we can bust it open."

Icicle Jr. is less than impressed with the plan. "Is that how you escaped Bell Reve? Just slipped through the bars of a window?"

"Shut up it was much more complicated than that." The two continue down the hallway.

Robin wants to get back in to the fight but knows it would be suicide. He was out of birdarangs, smoke bombs, and other devices. All he had was his skill and natural ability. Neither of which would stop ten prisoners with various weapons.

He hears a strange sound and looks up to the the Batwing flying overhead. "Hey! We're not allowed to fly that! Only Nightwing and," He stops as he thinks of Batman. "Come on girl I hope you know what you're doing."

Batgirl hopes she knows what she's doing as she presses a button.

The gas form of the serum sprays out from the back of the Batwing.

The gas falls to the streets below stopping the laughter of dozens of officers and prisoners.

The prisoners not affected by the Joker Gas in the first place still run wild but Robin and Batgirl knew there was little they could do. With out help the dozens of prisoners still rioting would go unstopped.

At SPUNP Riddler sees a window. It was sealed with bullet and rocker proof glass. "Let's see how well it handles the cold." He lets Icicle Jr. go ahead of him and waits.

Unfortunately a guard sees the two. "How did you get out of your cells?!" He pulls a device out of his pocket and presses a button.

Riddler sees this and whispers to Icicle Jr. "Go with it."

Both fall to the ground like they were being shocked.

The guard walks over to the two when Riddler kicks him in the knee. The guard falls grabbing at it as Icicle Jr. hits him on the mouth with some ice.

Riddler gets up and pulls a keycard off of the guards belt. "If we want no more interruptions we better give them some thing else to chase." He hurries down the hallway to the nearest cell and swipes the card.

The door opens and he sees Queen Bee. She was alone. "How come you get a solo cell?"

"Because I could influence the person to do what I want." She smiles at Riddler turning on the charm. "So, you must be escaping. You will help me."

The collar could not block her power of influence and was used only to keep her in line. "Yes Queen Bee. I will help you." Riddler and Queen Bee leave the room together and go back to Icicle Jr.

Icicle Jr. has the window frozen over. "How do we break it?"

Riddler narrows his eyes at the window. "Use your head."

Icicle Jr. looks around for a weapon to use.

Queen Bee catches his eye. "Please, use your head, for me."

"Yes." Icicle Jr. freezes the ground in front of him allowing him to reach the window. He slams his head against the ice over and over again until it shatters.

He climbs through the open window and the other two follow after him.

The three are running towards a fence when they are spotted. "Freeze!" The guard holds up the device that would shock them.

"Icicle, break her collar, fast." Riddler holds up his hands. "Uh, sorry?"

Icicle Jr. sends a jet of ice at Queen Bee's neck freezing the collar. Queen Bee breaks it off.

"I said freeze!"

"Oh, gladly." Icicle Jr. hits the guard with ice freezing him in place.

The three continue to the fence and Icicle Jr. freezes it and then smashes it with his head allowing the three to escape through the hole.

Hours later the Watchtower regains communication and the Zeta Tubes turn back on.

The Justice League is stunned. In the hours they were cut off from each other there had been two major prison breaks. Belle Reve was lost and Gotham City was in chaos.

The heroes use the Zeta Tubes to go to Gotham City.

Nightwing and Artemis do not go in to the city. Instead they go to the Batcave. "You don't have to do this Dick."

"Yes, yes I do." Nightwing takes his mask off and puts on the cowl.

Flash and Kid Flash rush as many of the injured to the nearest hospitals as they could.

Martian Manhunter uses his powers to subdue several prisoners.

Two Face and Poison Ivy have teamed up to fight off Plastic Man and Red Tornado. "How did he get guns so fast?" Red Tornado may have been an android but he could still be damaged by bullets.

"The guy probably had stashes all over the place." Plastic Man bends and weaves between thorn vines but can't get close to Poison Ivy.

"You don't know how to deal with them." All four turn and see Batman.

Two Face goes to shoot Batman but the gun is hit with a batarang and is knocked from his hands. "Long time no see! We started thinking you got killed."

"I'll never die." Batman leaps and uses his cape to glide down landing on Two Face. "Now stay down." He punches Two Face as hard as he can knocking Two Face out.

Poison Ivy sends her vines at Batman but he cuts through them with the blades on his gauntlets and various batarangs.

Poison Ivy starts backing away when an arrow hits her from behind. She reaches for it when the arrow explodes with a chemical foam encasing her. "Got her."

"Good job Tigress." Batman goes to the other two League members. "I guess I finally accept your invitation to the League."

The other two realize who it was wearing the cape and cowl. "Congratulations. This is not the way I would have liked it to happen." Red Tornado shakes Batman's hand.

"Dude, sorry this is how it happened. Welcome aboard!" Plastic Man goes over to Poison Ivy and pokes holes in the foam so she can breath.

Early in the morning Batman, Dick Grayson, steps on to the Watchtower. The majority of the League and several Team members are there to see him.

He takes the cowl off. "I know Bruce would one day stop being Batman. I know he wanted me to become Batman. Not the same Batman but a better one. I broke away and became Nightwing. I wanted to be a better Batman as well but I didn't want to be Batman. I couldn't dedicate myself like he could. I couldn't throw away every one and every thing like he could to reach that final goal." He looks down at the cowl. "Now though we need Batman. The city of Gotham needs Batman. The League needs Batman."

Batgirl can't keep herself from crying. She had hoped Dick would give it up one day. But if he became Batman she knew he would be lost forever. There was no way to stop being Batman. She still loved him and wanted to save him but wearing the cowl was too much for her. Dick would no longer be Dick.

Wonder Woman turns and walks away. She was torn on what was happening. She agreed that the thought, the idea, and the myth of Batman was needed. But Dick wasn't Batman.

Black Canary shakes her head and sighs. Dick had told her how he didn't want to be Batman years ago. Now he was. Could he, would he, handle the pressure? She hoped so. She too agreed Batman was needed.

Tim Drake sits on the floor conflicted. He liked Dick. He was a good older brother. But Batman... Dick wasn't Batman. He couldn't see his older brother as Batman. He couldn't see Bruce being replaced by Dick.

Artemis still felt it was wrong. She liked Dick. He was a good friend and even more lately. He had been there for her at her darkest hour. Now he was becoming Batman. Batman had died. No, been killed. Now Dick would become Batman. She hated to think of Dick being killed.

**Unknown**

Several screens flicker on. Lex Luthor, Klarion, Vandal Savage, The Brain, Deathstroke, and Ra's Al Ghul wait for the newest member of the Light to join him.

Luthor is put off by the tardiness. "He is late, again."

Ra's Al Ghul smirks at Luthor. "Yes. But his plan was brilliant."

The Brain silences both. "His plan was some thing none of us could have thought of. We are logical and make logical plans. The Justice League is also logical. What we needed was some one who could think differently. Some one whose ideas could have only been predicted and stopped by the man who knew him best. Batman."

Finally the seventh screen flickers on. All that can be heard is a maniacal laughter.

**A/N Ooo, so now Dick becomes Batman! After some grand plan by... The newest member of the Light several dozens if not hundreds of prisoners have escaped. As did Riddler, Icicle Jr. and Queen Bee! What will she do now that she is free? Get revenge? Lay low?**

**Team Alpha is back as well! Miss Martian is still hurt but not for the same reason she was before. When will she wake up?**

**And what is Aqualad chasing after? Where did this beast come from and is it some giant herbivore like a whale or some thing far more dangerous?**

**And of course what is the deal with Yellow Mamba?**

**We must wait to find out!**

**Oh, and here is a quick horror story I wrote. **

**Simple Horror Story**

**James the Lesser**

**Inspired by a Two Sentence Horror Story**

When I grew up I always had a cat or a dog or both. Scratching at the door was so common you almost didn't hear it.

You hear a door open you know that the dog forced it open. All my time growing up I closed more doors than I opened.

I always thought my cat was weird staring at me. The dog did it too. They would just sit there and stare. Animals can be weird, can't they?

Now? I moved out and live alone. The scratching at the door is hard to ignore.

Closing doors I didn't open isn't the same.

Maybe my cats and dogs weren't staring at me. Maybe they were staring at some thing behind me.


	10. Chapter 10

**Young Justice Aftermath **

**Season 3**

**Episode 10**

**Author James the Lesser**

**I do not own any characters DC does.**

**Of course a show as awesome as YJ was canceled. We gotta have moar Ben and Ash and other horrible shows instead of some thing awesome.**

**Watchtower**

**Minutes After Last Episode**

The Watchtower monitors all police boards for reports of the escaped prisoners from Belle Reve and Arkham. They were surprised by the few calls that were made. "Maybe they wised up and decided to keep a low profile." Green Arrow switches from screen to screen.

Captain Atom nods. "There is a super storm forming because of the polar vortex. Icicle Sr. and Mr. Freeze could use it to their advantage."

"Let's hope not."

The two continue flipping through the police boards waiting for any signs of the escaped prisoners.

Artemis and Nightwing stand in front of a Zeta Tube. "We need a nice quiet night."

"My place in Bludhaven work? Since your apartment still is little more than burnt rubble."

"Any place but the Watchtower." She looks out the window. "The view is incredible but I like being on Earth." The two step through the Zeta Tube.

**Lex Corp Lab**

**December 24****rd**** 2:30 **

Cyborg has several cables come out of his right hand and plug in to a Zeta Tube in a warehouse. It connected with the secret lab of Lex Luthor. It was the only way in or out. Only those registered in the system could move through it. It was the perfect security. Unless some one knew Lex Security as well if not better than the man who put it in place.

Inside the lab all the lights go to brightest setting. "Who is messing with the lights? Turn them down!" There are murmurs but no one moves.

Several people look around trying to figure out who had turned the lights up when they go red. "Security breech!"

A man in a secured room feels his restraint loosen. He drops to the floor after being strapped to a table for weeks. "What's the point? I can't get through the Zeta Tube and the walls are too thick for me to move through." He had tried to when he first came through the portal but he found the lab was built deep in a mountain.

The lights flash a few times before an electronic voice warns the people inside of the lab. "_Warning. All Must Evacuate. All Zeta Tubes Are Open."_

The man hears this. "All? There is more than one? Maybe the other one isn't as high security." He goes to the door and moves through it easily.

The lab technicians panic and run. The man notices some go one direction while others go another. "If I remember correctly that way was the way I went before. So I'll go the other way." He turns and runs after the other scientists.

A high pitched screeching noise nearly deafens all. "_The Facility will shut down in five minutes. Any and all left inside will be detained until proper security codes are reinstated."_

"I don't need five minutes." The man runs past the scientists and sees the other Zeta Tube. "Please work." He runs towards it and finds he can pass through it.

He doesn't take long running from a cave where the other Zeta Tube went to. He looks up and sees the moon and stars. "They haven't changed much from one dimension to the other." He takes off from the Rocky Mountains for home.

His first stop is at a burnt out building. "Well, that's different. What if I'm in the wrong dimension?" He taps his foot a few times before taking off again.

In Bludhaven he stops at his friends house. "He might be home." He doesn't bother knocking and just moves through the door.

He hears a strange noise coming from the bedroom. "Oh, that dog! I better sleep on the couch. I don't need to block him." He flops down on the couch as his friend and what ever girl he was with at the time continue in the bedroom.

The man wakes up a few hours later when he hears a door open. He looks up from the couch and sees... "Artemis?"

She stops mid step and sees the man. She throws an arm over her chest and screams. "Wal-" She stops. "Wally? Wally!" She isn't sure what to do. She wanted to hug him and kiss him and more but she was in a bit of a predicament. "I, it,"

Wally gets up from the couch. "It's exactly what it looks like, isn't it?" She nods.

Dick comes out after getting a pair of boxers on. "Wally? It, it can't be." He isn't sure what to do either. Was his best friend really in his living room? "Where did you come from?"

"A lab."

Not the right response. Dick grabs Artemis and pulls her behind him. "Clone. Get out of here!"

"What, no!" Wally puts his hands up. "I was stuck in a lab after I went through a portal. I just escaped a few minutes ago."

It took Dick and Artemis no longer than a few seconds to make the connection. "You were what came through the portal!"

Artemis goes in to the bedroom and puts on some clothes as Dick and Wally continue to talk. "So, you and Artemis huh?"

Dick blushes bright red. "I, it, after you died, it didn't start like this. She was hurting and I, I didn't, I swear. I'm sorry man."

Wally shrugs his shoulders. "You thought I was dead. I can't be mad about that." He motions towards Dick and Artemis as she walks out of the bedroom. "Except I do have a couple of questions."

Artemis isn't sure what she should do. She wanted to hug Wally. Make sure he was really there. But he had just caught her and his best friend... "Like?"

"What happened to our apartment?!"

Artemis and Dick both feel a weight lift off of their shoulders. "Our apartment was blown up by Deathstroke and some girl."

"His daughter." Dick still remembers the burns on his skin from that attack.

Wally goes to Artemis and hugs and kisses her. "I missed you babe."

"I, I missed you too."

He smacks her on her bottom. "Hopefully not too much. I'd hate to think you spent all this time crying over me." He winks at her.

Dick isn't sure what to feel. Relief? Embarrassment? Joy? "We all missed you man. I took a break and didn't really come back until last night."

Wally punches Dick on the arm playfully. "So even Nightwing is human?"

Dick's response is not what Wally expected. "No, Batman is human." Wally's confused look is all Dick needed. "Bruce is dead. I, I took the cowl last night."

"No way! Bruce can't be dead! What happened?! What else did I miss?" Wally wasn't expecting any of this.

The three sit down in the living room to catch Wally up on every thing that happened while he was gone.

Wally hugs Dick and then lets go. "I'm sorry man. That sucks. Although it is cool to know you are Batman. I'm best friends with Batman. My cred with the team is gonna skyrocket." Wally tries to laugh but it is hollow.

After a few minutes of talking he tells them what he did in the other dimension. "I went from ice to forest. I was near some giant ice wall. Seven hundred feet tall from what I heard."

"There were people there?"

Wally nods. "Sure were babe. They were members of the Night's Watch. Some super elite group of soldiers who guard the wall from ice zombies."

Both Dick and Artemis give him a strange look. "Totally real. I went to the other side and saw one myself. Nasty things. I tried taking it out but they're super tough. Some type of magic I guess."

Dick chuckles a little. "Magic? I thought you didn't believe in magic."

"In our world sure. In this world there was totally magic going on. And dragons." He motions his arms like wings.

"You saw dragons?" Artemis was starting to sound jealous.

"Well, no. I saw some skulls and heard rumors some cat lease thing had dragons across the ocean. Never went across to check though."

Dick asks the question he knew was on Artemis's mind. "How did you get back here?"

"Some one mentioned magic portals and people in strange clothing. I checked it out and saw the portal and ran through." He rubs his wrists. "I got trapped and surrendered. They, hurt, me to figure out how I gained my powers."

Artemis reaches out and takes his hand in hers. "That's how Yellow Mamba got her powers." Artemis leans against him. "She's a new member of the UN League."

Wally leans against her. "That is crazy. The UN League sounds like a good idea except it is led by Lex Luthor."

In Lex Corp, Luthor gets the report on the lab. "I doubt this was a coincidence. Some one did this. Some one who knew of the lab. That leaves very few suspects." The Light knew of it.

They did not like he was making a team of superheroes loyal to him. Using weapons, rocks, and serums he took from other dimensions to make them. Closing the lab would stop him from making more. "Unfortunately for them I do not give up so easily. It may take a few days but we will be up and operational again."

**Wayne Manor**

**December 25****th**** 13:00**

Dick and Tim show up together. They hated the clone but the clone didn't seem to know what it was. It really thought it was Bruce Wayne. If so they had to keep up the pretense and come home for Christmas.

They are stunned to see Jason was already there. "I, dude, what are you doing here?"

"Christmas dude. Home from college and all that." He looks at Tim. "And the runaway. Or are you at college too?"

"Boarding school." Tim keeps an eye on Jason. He really wanted to believe that Jason had been resurrected by the Lazarus Pit. But he knew of several clones. He was having dinner with one that day. "I'm too young for college."

"Neither of you brought your girlfriends? I was kinda looking forward to seeing Artemis and Cassie." Jason laughs. "Hanging out with Roy is fun but lacks the female companionship I had with the Team." He looks at Dick. "Or are you and Artemis done now that Wally is back?"

"How do you know that? Or about Tim and Cassie?"

"Batman trained me." Jason laughs again. "By the way Dick. The cowl and cape looks good on you." Dick doesn't ask how Jason knew about that as well.

Bruce walks down the stairs and sees the three. "Ah, all three have come home. It is good to see you." He hugs the three not noticing how stiff and awkward they were about it. "How has school been for all of you?"

Dick answers first. "Almost done. Last semester can't finish soon enough." Thankfully for all three Alfred had been getting information on the clone and what it knew.

He believed Dick and Jason were in college. Dick a senior and Jason a sophmore. Tim was at some fancy boarding school where he was captain of the lacrosse team. The Light had planned for the three to abandon the clone.

Jason pats Dick on the back. "And then what? I've heard about you from the others. How you are with the ladies."

Dick elbows Jason in the side. "Shut up."

Bruce smiles at his three sons and turns towards the dining hall. "Now, now, behave. If you're bad you won't get any presents."

At the Kent Family Farm Conner is sitting down for dinner. "Thank you for inviting me."

Mr. Kent looks at Conner as Mrs. Conner sets down the last plate of food. "Still no word from our Clark?"

Conner shakes his head. "I'm sorry but no."

Mrs. Kent looks down at her plate. "He'll be ok. Our boy can survive any thing."

"I hope so." Conner waits for prayers to be said before digging in.

Wally is at home with his parents. After a lot of crying and hugging the family prepared for Christmas.

Wally notices several presents under the tree were for him. "When did you guys get them?"

His mother puts a hand on his shoulder. "We, I got them. I didn't want there to be nothing for you under the tree. Even if you were gone it was still Christmas and you deserved presents."

He turns around and hugs her fighting back tears. He hears her crying and can't stop himself from crying.

Ms. Marvel is spending Christmas night hunting down a criminal near Philadelphia. She had spent the day with her family but had been given the call to go after a prisoner from Belle Reve, Parasite.

There are screams that alert another hero. Billy runs out in to his backyard. "Shazam!" The lightning bolt strikes and he becomes Captain Marvel.

Parasite knew what the bolt meant. It meant Captain Marvel and it meant power.

Ms. Marvel flies towards the lightning bolt wondering what it struck.

Captain Marvel's hearing alerts him that some one was trying to sneak through some bushes behind the fence of the house. He turns and prepares his attack when Parasite leaps over the fence. "Parasite?" Captain Marvel starts to feel nervous. He had never fought the Parasite before and knew the others who did always struggled. Thankfully the courage of Achilles gives him the confidence to fight.

Parasite dodges the first lighting ball attack and leaps for Captain Marvel.

Ms. Marvel strikes from above kicking Parasite hard in the side sending him flying in to a tree. "Hello. I am Ms. Marvel."

Captain Marvel sees her and shouts. "Of course you are!" He clears his throat and regains his composure. "I'm Captain Marvel."

"It is nice to meet you." She looks over as Parasite recovers. "We should deal with this monster soon."

Captain Marvel nods and forms more energy in between his hands. "Lets do this."

Parasite isn't sure what to do. Either one would give him powers. He wasn't sure what all Ms. Marvel could do but Captain Marvel would probably be harder to get his hands on. "So will the UN League allow the Justice League to get the glory? Or will the Justice League step aside and let themselves be shown up by the UN League?"

"Neither. We're both heroes and that's all that matters." Captain Marvel smiles at Ms. Marvel who smiles back.

"Thank you Captain."

"Captain Marvel. I'm not like an actual captain or any thing."

Parasite kicks a soccer ball at Captain Marvel. He catches it easily but it was part of the distraction by Parasite.

He jumps in to the tree and uses it to gain leverage as he leaps at Ms. Marvel.

She is fast and lashes out with a vicious kick. It hits Parasite in the stomach but he gets his hands on her leg. "Feed me!"

Both fall to the ground as Captain Marvel throws the soccer ball away. "Got off of her!" He slams in to Parasite but Parasite keeps his grip on Ms. Marvel.

Ms. Marvel slams her right arm in to Parasite's face. The metal cuff breaks his nose.

He lets go and backs away. "I'm not here to fight just get away." He jumps and then lands right where he started. "Huh? Why can't I fly? You can fly that means I can fly!"

She taps the belt she wore. "Technology." She smiles brightly and flashes the peace symbol. "Surrender and come quietly please."

"I, never! I have strength and speed now." He turns to Captain Marvel. "And you can fly!" He goes to attack Captain Marvel when he is hit in the face by an energy bolt.

Ms. Marvel flies behind him and gets a collar out and puts it on Parasite before he can recover. "You are under arrest under UN Law, uh, what is it for prison break?" She hits him on the back of the head knocking him out. "Now it doesn't matter." She looks over at Captain Marvel. "I'm not at good at remembering all the law stuff we're supposed to know."

Captain Marvel shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know it either but he's going back." He sees the collar. "That subdues his powers right?"

She nods. "It takes his powers like he tried to take mine. I guess he can not absorb technology." She flies down to Captain Marvel. "It was an honor to meet you Captain Marvel but I should be taking the criminal to SPUNP."

Captain Marvel smiles and laughs nervously. "Uh, could I have like, your number? I mean, I know we're like not on the same team but I think you're awesome and stuff." The courage of Achilles may have helped him in battle but it was not helping him now.

Ms. Marvel backs away. "You are much, uh, older, excuse my English."

Captain Marvel shakes his head. "No you, I'm not that old, I swear. I'm actually the same age as you I think. Maybe younger."

She gives him a suspicious look. "You do not look like it."

Captain Marvel knows he is crashing and burning. "I know but this isn't me. This is when I'm Captain Marvel not when I'm me." She just stares. "I, I say a magic word and I turn in to Captain Marvel. I'm actually a teen. I got on the League by not telling them how old I really was. Batman knew because he's Batman but the others didn't."

She gets closer. "So who are you really? Every one in the world knows who I am. Why do you hide?"

Captain Marvel looks towards the house. "I'm the only one with powers. My friends and family are just people. If some one shoots me the bullet just bounces off. They shoot my foster mother she, it, the bullet doesn't bounce off." He looks down at his feet. "And we don't all know who you are. I'd like to get to know you better."

She shakes her head. "Sorry but no. I do not know who you are and I am busy with the UN League."

Captain Marvel knows what he is about to do would be frowned upon by the entire League and the Team. "Uh, take a few steps back ok? I'll let you know who I am." She flies back a few yards.

Captain Marvel looks up at the sky. "Shazam!" The lightning bolt strikes him returning him to normal. "Hi, I'm Billy."

She flies closer to see him better in the darkness. "Oh. You are my age." She smiles at him and holds up the peace sign. "Good to know you. No it is, nice, to know you." She scrunches up her face and tries to say what she wants correctly. "Nice to meet you. The real you."

"I'd like to get to know the real you, still."

She pats her sides. "I do not carry a pen."

"Oh, uh," Billy runs inside the house really quick and comes back out with his cellphone. "It is a pay as you go so I can call anywhere in the world." He hands the phone to her and she puts her number in it. "Thanks."

"No, thank you. Like you said we are not the same team but we are both heroes. I am not sure how you in the Justice League see us but I look up to you. I mean, the Justice League not you in, no, person."

"Personally?" She nods. "You speak English a lot better than I could ever speak German." He laughs and sees her smile back.

She looks down at Parasite. "I must go. Thank you for helping me and I will wait for your call. Or text." She waves goodbye and picks up Parasite easily taking off in to the air.

Billy looks down at his phone. "I got her number. I got Ms. Marvel's number. Awesome! Best Christmas present ever!" He runs back inside all while doing a dance.

**Outer Space**

**Unknown**

Superman flies from planet to planet. He didn't know if the Green Lantern Corp would be after him. He had killed all those people. As soon as Luthor turned the Light Generator on he snapped and killed all of those people.

Captain Marvel tried to stop him but Superman was far too strong and fast. The strength of Hercules and the speed of Hermes were nothing compared to the strength and speed of a Kryptonian. He only staid on a planet long enough to eat, sleep, and continue moving again.

He thought about turning himself in but he knew nothing could contain him. A power collar might hold him back for only as long as he wanted. And what if some thing came to Earth that could only be stopped by him? He'd break out of prison.

Not to mention what would Luthor do? He'd attack the entire League over it. He probably already has. What would Superman do now? He should go back. And then what? Go on trial? Go to prison? He was Superman. Maybe go back and be just Clark Kent. Except the Justice League knew who he was. Would they turn him over? He could take them. Captain Marvel was one of the most powerful members and he... He hoped Captain Marvel was ok.

**Lex Corp**

**December 27****th**** 2:45**

Queen Bee sneaks through the hallways after dark. She would wait for Luthor and would get her revenge.

"Oh really?"

She turns and sees... "Psimon? What are you doing here?"

He walks out of the shadows. "I have been hired by Luthor for security and other purposes. I knew you were here as soon as you stepped foot on the premises. Much better than some cameras or a few sleepy security guards." He smirks at her bewildered look. "Yes?"

"You could have freed me. You should have freed me!"

"Why?"

Queen Bee's anger overflows. "I am your ruler! I pay you to do as I say! You will obey me!"

Psimon can't even find the want to laugh. "I work for the highest bidder. Once you went to prison your funds dried up. His haven't."

"So now what will you do? Turn me in again? I'll escape!" She doesn't have a weapon on her. If she had she would... Do what? She always gave the orders. She did the planning. She wasn't a warrior she was a leader.

"I could do to you like I did to Superman. Poor fool believes he killed a bunch of people." Psimon taps his head. "I wonder where he is now."

"I don't care if I killed people." Queen Bee moves closer to Psimon.

"No, no you don't." Psimon focuses on her. "Psimon says stop." Queen Bee tried to ignore him but can't. "Psimon says down on the ground with your hands behind your back."

She obediently gets down on the ground as footsteps can be heard in the hallway. "I called the police. They'll find you and you'll confess that you were here to assassinate Lex Luthor."

She tries to scream at him but can't. She could influence any one with an attraction to her. Psimon couldn't even feel pity for her. "And you won't use your powers on these officers."

He walks away as the police come around the corner and see Queen Bee. "I surrender! I came here to kill Lex Luthor!" She tries to bite her tongue but can't. Psimon was too powerful.

**Watchtower**

**December 29****th**

Superboy sits in a chair sleeping while holding M'gann's hand. He hears a noise and wakes up. "Who's there?"

He feel's M'gann's hand move and looks down and sees her moving around. "M'gann?"

"Conner?" Her head turns as her eyes open? "Where am I? Are you ok? Where's Garfield?"

Superboy hugs her tightly. "You're finally awake."

She shifts uncomfortably on the bed. "Awake? Where are we? Why aren't we on the BioShip?" She hadn't moved on her own for weeks. Every muscle ached. "Is this the Watchtower?"

Superboy pulls away. "Yes. You, the mind reading, it wasn't Vandal Savage. It was Dark Seid." He sees the pained look on her face.

She winces in pain again as she tries to sit up. "My body hurts. I hurt in places I didn't know I had." Superboy helps her up.

"You've been in a coma for a long time." He hugs her again and she hugs him back fighting through the pain of moving her arms. "If you want I can go get Garfield. He's been worried sick."

"Where is he?"

"At your apartment. He's been watering your plants and stuff."

She laughs lightly. "So all my plants are dead? Even the plastic ones?" Superboy laughs back.

On Earth, Queen Bee is transported from one armored car to another. She looks up at one of the officers and smiles. "New officers." Psimon restrained her powers of the first group of officers that showed up. It wouldn't stop her now.

As the Sun rises Lex Luthor meets with Psimon. He sits at his desk as Psimon stands on the other side. "She escaped again."

Psimon nods. "I may have been a little too specific with my instructions. Psimon said no using her powers on _these_ officers. When they transported her to a UN truck there was a new set of officers." Psimon looks over at Deathstroke nervously.

"Oh well." Luthor leans back in his chair. "She is a war criminal on the run. I'll send the UN League after her. It will keep them busy for a few days while I set up the Light's next few things." He turns to Deathstroke. "Is your daughter ready?"

"Yes. My Flower will bloom."

_Luthor, several members of the UN League are here for your meeting._

"Very well Mercy. Give me a minute and send them in." Luthor waves his hand dismissing Psimon. "Deathstroke if you could please have your daughter come in after you leave."

"Of course." Deathstroke goes through a secret door and a few seconds later his daughter steps out.

She wears a dark red t-shirt with a black long sleeved shirt underneath and black pants with a red belt. Her black boots with red laces reach up to just under her knees. She wears black gloves with red fingertips. At her hip was a short dagger. On her right arm was an auto loader crossbow. Her short blonde hair barely reaches her chin. "Hello Luthor."

"Hello Rose." He stands up and shakes her hand. "Welcome to the UN League young hero."

She smiles with her mouth but her eyes are little more than a dark abyss. "You needed a mole to keep track of your little hero group. I'm no hero."

Luthor nods. "They will not know that."

Cyborg, American Patriot, Knightmare, and Ms. Marvel walk in to Lex Luthor's office. None are in their UN League clothing except for Cyborg who can't exactly take it off.

Cyborg takes the lead. "You said you had some thing urgent?"

Ms. Marvel sees Rose and waves energetically. "I think we're getting a new member!"

American Patriot sees her. "Hey, how you doin?"

She just sends him a glare back in response.

Luthor stands up from his seat. "Yes, urgent and other things. Queen Bee has escaped again. She came here to assassinate me and was captured. Unfortunately she has a knack for mind control of those who find her, attractive. In one or more ways."

American Patriot laughs. "Then why am I here? Metal Boy here probably has a car for a girlfriend and Brit Boy here is as we all know light in the loafers so no problem there. Me? I'd,"

Luthor cuts him off. "I'm sure we all know what you would do." American Patriot doesn't like Luthor's tone of voice but lets it go. "She is very dangerous. Personally she is not but what she can do to others. She make you kill for her. She can make you kill yourself. I believe we need help with her. Some one who has been trained since she was very young."

Luthor motions towards her as she steps forward. "She is a highly skilled fighter in both hand to hand and with certain weapons. She has been given the same treatments as you."

Rose clears her throat. "Call me Ravager."

American Patriot tries again. "What about your real name? Number?"

Rose walks over to him. She was at least a foot shorter than he was and a hundred pounds lighter. She puts a hand on his chest and leans close. "You'll find out if you're good enough." She grasps his shirt and twists throwing him over her shoulder. As he lands she turns so she pins him to the ground with her knees as she straddles his chest. "Fool."

He smiles. "I'm not complaining." She gets up and walks back over to Luthor. "That was fun. Thanks." She turns to the other UN League members. "I guess when we're not showing the idiots how stupid they are," She looks down at American Patriot. "You can call me Rose."

Ms. Marvel smiles and hops in place as she claps her hands. "I am Alexandra! It is nice to meet you!"

Rose leans over to Luthor. "Is she always so, energetic?" He nods in response. "Hi Alexandra." She sighs as she realizes it may not be such an easy job.

**Worldwide**

**December 31****th**

New York City is a mess of people waiting for the ball to drop.

A young boy and his new friend from Germany are on top of a building. "So when you're like this you have no powers?"

He nods. "I don't get a fancy belt like you to fly." They turn and watch as the ball drops as they hold hands.

Jason and Roy are at a party in downtown Jump City. Jason sees some one pick a tourists pocket. He follows the thief and picks the wallet back returning it to the tourist with the tourist none the wiser.

Jaime Reyes and Starfire meet his friend Tye and their fellow former runaway friends. Virgil powers a television they brought with them out to a cave in a desert so they can watch the ball drop.

Starfire is confused by the festivities. "I do not understand this. Birth of a new year?"

Jaime leans back on the couch. "It is a silly celebration that unites the world."

"Like the Reach tried to unite?"

Jaime gets off the desk. "No. Not like those _loco psico_ aliens." The ball starts to drop. "There is a tradition though at midnight." He smiles and waits for the ball to hit the bottom.

Superboy and M'gann are in her apartment with her uncle and her little brother. They watch the ball drop. "Five, four, three..."

Oliver and Dinah sit in an expensive restaurant with others watching the ball drop on the screen.

Power Girl flies over a house in South Africa. She looks down at the new residents. They were violating her old home. She could... No. They were innocent. They were a happy family celebrating a new year.

Knightmare. Ian, is with his boyfriend on the streets of London. All around them people celebrate. "I never thought we'd have another year together." His boyfriend leans his head on Ian's shoulder.

"Neither did I. Luthor saved my life." His stage four cancer had been eradicated. He went from weeks until death to forever. His father had hidden his illness well. It was a private thing not for the public. How Luthor knew, if he even did, Ian wasn't sure.

American Patriot, Brock, is at a party in a New York City penthouse. "Wooo!" He chugs a soda and then smashes the can against his forehead. "New Year, new me!" Loud music blasts from a DJ he hired.

Cyborg is at home with his father. His father knows some thing is wrong with his son but isn't sure what it is. Or how to address it. "Son, Victor, it is the new year. You should be out celebrating."

Cyborg lifts his cybernetic right arm. "Like this? I'm a freak."

"You're a hero! People love you. I'm sure they wouldn't care about your, disability, if you even want to call it that." Cyborg pushes away from the table and walks up to his room to go to bed before the ball even dropped.

Aquaman and his wife are on the beach. "The surface dwellers will celebrate any thing won't they?"

Aquaman looks at the fireworks being set up along the beach. "Yes. But I think you'll like it." He and his wife watch the people on the beach as they wait for the ball to drop.

Red Tornado is in his other body in downtown Central City. He sees several other League members in street clothes all watching a giant screen on a tall building with the ball drop showing.

The ball hits 0 and explosions, horn blaring, and shouting fills the air all across the nation. Fireworks blanket the sky turning night in to day.

Dinah grabs Oliver by the collar and pulls him close giving him a New Year kiss.

Jaime takes Starfire in his arms and kisses her. Her eyes go wide but she responds kissing him back after seeing Tye and his girlfriend, Asami, kiss.

Superboy and M'gann share a New Year kiss ignoring the gagging noises coming from Garfield.

Jason and Roy each grab a random girl and kiss them. Neither seem to mind.

Aquaman takes his wife in his arms and kisses her under the fireworks.

Alexndra and Billy exchange looks before she gives him a light peck on the lips. "Happy New Year Billy."

"Happy New Year Alexandra." His first date would be a memorable one for both.

Kaldur'ahm is on the Watchtower in the memorial room. He looks up at Tula. "Happy New Year."

Diana sits on the ground next to Bruce Wayne's grave. "Happy New Year Bruce."

Artemis, Wally, Bart, Dick, and Barbara are on the Watchtower. They ignore the festivities going on all over Earth.

Wally sits in a chair shaking his head. "No Bart. You keep the yellow tights. I can't be Kid Flash again."

Bart still holds the tights in his hands. They wouldn't fit Wally but it was the thought that counts. "I, I mean, I took over after you died. Or we thought you had. But you're alive! I can't be Kid Flash." He tries to give the suit to Wally again.

Wally pushes the suit away. "Yes you can. I quit. I'm not a hero any more."

Artemis stands up from her chair and stomps her foot. "Yes you are!"

He shakes his head again. "No. I quit. I almost died. You all thought I was. I can't hurt my parent's like that again. I, I always thought I'd be fast enough." He kicks the coffee table in front of him. "I'm not. Bart, you are a lot faster, you are a true Flash. I'm a slow knockoff." He stands up. "Artemis, we, we tried to retire before. Why not do it again? What would your mother do if you died?"

Artemis looks away ashamed of what she was about to say. "I tried to retire. I missed it. I missed it too much to stay away. I need this. Not just for me but for my family. I'm the only good thing to come from it."

"Your sister," Artemis shouts at Wally.

"Isn't good! She, she isn't evil I know but she isn't good." She sits back down. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I just, I just can't give it up, you know?"

"The adrenaline rush won't stop you from bleeding out all over the ground. Deathstroke almost killed you at home." He reaches out to her and takes her hand. "You don't have powers."

"You do and you almost died." She squeezes his hand. "I'm more careful because I know I don't have powers."

Dick stands up and goes over to the two. "Wally I get it. You need a break. I needed a break after we thought we lost you. Take one."

Wally looks up at Dick. "I don't need a break. I'm out for good."

Dick puts a hand on Wally's shoulder. "You think that now but you won't forever. You'll see some one in danger and help them. You'll see a, tornado, and save lives. Not today and not tomorrow but you will."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I even thought about quitting. I can't now. Now that I'm Batman I can't quit." Dick doesn't see the hurt look on Barbara's face. "You can think about quitting now but you won't. Take your break with Artemis and when you're ready come back." Dick looks over at Bart. "Not as Kid Flash. You're not a kid any more. Be some one new."

"How about the Blue Wombat?" The others laugh as the tension eases.

Barbara checks her watch. "Oh, hey, it is the New Year."

Wally and Artemis kiss. "Happy New Year Babe."

She looks in to his eyes and smiles. "Happy New Year to you too."

Barbara takes Dick's hand in hers as she stands up. "Happy New Year Dick." She gives him a kiss on the cheek.

He checks the time on his watch. "I spent more time here than I thought. I need to get back to the cave. I still need to make some modifications on the suit. It doesn't fit right in a couple of places."

Barbara frowns but Dick has already turned and started walking away. "He's turning in to Batman. He probably doesn't even realize it."

**Outerspace **

**January 1****st**** 0:25**

War World passes past Pluto. Darkseid smiles as the War World computers get Earth in its system. "I am death. The destroyer of worlds." His smile is filled with evil as he gets closer to Earth.

**A/N Uh oh! Darkseid and War World are coming! I'm sure that won't end well!**

**But one thing did seem to end well! Wally is alive and back! Even after catching his girlfriend with his best friend. How awkward would that be? Except he seemed just happy to be back home and didn't care. Like he said they thought he was dead.**

**And Rose joins the UN League as a mole for Luthor. Why? Aren't they his team? What is he planning? We must wait and see!**

**And we find out what Psimon has been up to. Used his powers on Superman. And didn't just make him think he killed people but befuddled his mind. If Psimon could make multiple doctors thousands of miles away think they were taking care of him for months what could he do to Superman?**

**My favorite part though was the New Years Eve part. Just showing every one celebrating. One way or another. Showing the runaways, Jason and Roy, and the rest who may not have gotten the most screen time so far. There are so many characters though I couldn't give them all an appearance though. Of course how long will the celebrations last with an Apokolips technology upgraded War World coming? Wait to find out!**


End file.
